Chapter 4: Sins of the Forsaken (Deadly Life #2)
Warning: This fic contains intense violence, lots of cursing, character death, gore and blood, sexual innuendos (thanks Maggi- Wait. You're dead now. Meaning there are no sexual innuendos!... Maybe! Hooray!), and possible spoilers for the Danganronpa series, most notably the first one. But hey, everyone lurking in this fandom has at least played the first Danganronpa so no need to worry much there!
With that said, please enjoy!
"To my humblest dearest Jared Caertas," White Collar sat on his throne as he stared back into Jared's eyes. "The police officer who values saving lives no matter how much he needs to sacrifice in order to do so. But just how much are you willing to sacrifice I wonder? How much blood will you shed to save your peers? To remain faithful to the corrupted code you claim to hold so dear. I wonder if you can even remain faithful enough regarding the one who care most:
...
...
...your closest ally, Talia Wayward..."
TRIAL COMMENCE
"Allow me to remind everyone the rules of this Prison Trial," Monohebi began, coiled up on the large throne that oversaw the 16 podiums. Occupying Kane's, Titus', Yuumi's, Mayu's, Maggie's, Carter's, Barracuda's, and Jared's podiums were their respective mugshots with two X's crudely drawn over their eyes and scribbles to represent fire that possibly hinted at the fact that they were burning in Hell. "There is a blackened among you. Your job is to argue amongst yourselves to ultimately come to a conclusion on who you think the blackened is. Once you have come to an agreement, you will be permitted to vote on who you think the blackened is. If you vote correctly, only the blackened shall receive punishment. But if you vote incorrectly, then everyone besides the blackened will be punished and the blackened will be able to escape the facility. Any questions?"
There was a small silence in the crowd of eight. Course, this was their fourth Trial. It was something they have already grown accustomed and used to, so why bother listening to the rules, right?
But of course, this was already strange for Monohebi, who perked her head curiously.
"Strange," Monohebi noted. "You prisoners usually start asking me questions I cannot answer or immediately start accusing one over the other. What's changed this time?"
"We've done this so many bleeding times," Arthur frowned. "We just want to find out who killed Jared and get this over with. So, can we move on please? Give us the questions you always give when you start the Trial."
Monohebi paused. She didn't expect to be pushed around like this. Frankly, it was a little insulting. But without a further ado, the snake merely tipped her head in acknowledgement.
"...Very well," Monohebi nodded. "I shall officially start this Trial with a question: Who is it that killed Jared Caertas?"
"Well, to answer that, what do we do first?" Mimi started this conversation. "The Autopsy Report doesn't really give us much information!"
"It doesn't give us any information, period," Haruto sighed, shaking his head. "Which sucks because not only do we not know what killed him, we also don't have a fucking idea when he was killed."
"...Unknown Cause of Death and an unknown Time of Death," Holland remarked, glancing at his eHandbook. "Jeez, where do we start with this one…?"
"As much as he was someone that butted heads with me, I bet he would've known how to start," Zuri looked away, rubbing her arms. She still couldn't believe that Jared was the one who perished. Just like that too.
"Sad, but in cases like these, I think we should work our way backwards," Arthur stated.
"Backwards?" Mimi blinked.
"We start by what we know," Arthur folded his arms. "Where was his body found? And what happened to his body that made it look so grotesque? Once we answer that, we should be able to work from there."
"Well, isn't that already obvious?" Abigail leaned against the podium. "The body was found in the Mineshaft. The only reason he was all mangled up was because of the Grinder."
"There's no doubt about that," Haruto nodded. "But then… we also have to ask, how the fuck did he manage to get trapped in the Grinder like that?"
"And so, comes the first point of discussion," Arthur tapped the side of his forehead with a smirk. "Just how did Jared end up in the grinder?"
The simple questions that Arthur had asked had led them to the first important topic of the day: The grinder. It was clearly an important instrument utilized for the crime. But how did this puzzle piece fit with the overall picture? Why did Jared come out of the grinder like that?
…
As this was the first important topic, the prisoners thought closely about the answer to this interesting discussion. Some of the prisoners, namely those that saw the grinder function at its fullest, recalled its functions…
The Equestrian had climbed up the stairs and leaned forward to see the machine from a different angle. Although one couldn't see squat from the sides, one could see all the action from the catwalk and the stairs.
The machine started out as a chute, where rocks and other materials would be dropped in. Then it would lead with a long conveyor belt that would head straight into what appeared to be large sharp gears turning and churning against the rocks that were being transported there. In other words, this machine was one big grinder. Then, whatever was left from the grinder would be shot out at the far end, where visibility from the stairs and balcony could not be seen.
"Ooh!" Mimi raced down the stairs to run toward the end of the grinder. Now from her angle, it was a conveyor belt that would bring out what was left of what the grinder did to the rocks. Now the boulders and rocks became smaller rocks and tiny pebbles.
A worthy job of the Ultimate Grinder… That is not an official title. Please do not market it.
"A theory that I have considered with my half-brother is that perhaps the Grinder itself was the murder weapon," Ina suggested. "After all, Jared was found coming out of it. And not only that, but that is what caused Jared's body to be brutally disfigured."
"Well, that could be a possibility, yeah," Abigail nodded her head.
"But that machine was supposed to grind up big rocks into smaller rocks," Mimi looked down sadly. "Why… Why do it to a person?"
"Welcome to the Killing Game, brat," Cassandra rolled her eyes. Her first words in this Trial and it was an insult. "Someone used that because it was an easy fucking weapon to use."
Classic Cassandra.
"Hey, if you have something to say, then just say it," Abigail glared at Cassandra. "There's no need for you to throw insults around and it's especially not going to help us figure out who killed Jared."
"Oh boohoo, so you got offended by a comment I made," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Does that upset you, Abbygail? Huh? Does that upset you?"
She was definitely in a relatively crappy mood. Could it be that she truly did care about Jared?... Nah. That seemed unlikely. The Cassandra Mura they knew never cared about anyone but herself. In any case, Haruto was of course the first that came to Abigail's aide.
"Yo, let's just ignore the black-haired bimbo and get on with it," Haruto grumbled. "Ina was saying something about the Grinder being the murder weapon."
"Yes, I do believe the answer to our conundrum may be as simple as that," Ina nodded her head. "The murder weapon that killer used to kill Jared was the Grinder."
"Do explain your reasoning, sister," Arthur folded his arms with a patient nod. Of course, he had an idea based on what they were discussing after checking out the Security Office.
"Half," Ina corrected. "I think what may have happened was that an altercation occurred in the Mineshaft. The killer and Jared may have fought it out which in turn caused Jared to fall into the grinder's chute. After that, all the killer really needed to do was turn the machine on and kill him."
"Okay?" Haruto blinked. This theory already sounded off.
"But why would the killer want to kill Jared?" Zuri asked. "I mean, I know he's been problematic but was it really necessary for someone to go out of their way to kill him?"
Zuri was right. Even though Jared had been shifty and been going on and on about trying to sacrifice a life to save other lives, would that be an enough reason to just kill him straight up? Well, maybe, but at the same time, everyone knew what would happen if that was the case. There was no way they would try to risk anything!
…
"Of course, it would be necessary," Ina nodded. "Please remember, what exactly did Haruto tell us Jared was planning on doing?"
"So, Jared wished to talk to you here in Zuri's Cell of all places?" Arthur questioned. "What about?"
"From what I could even take in right before the bastard clocked me in the face," Haruto folded his arms. "The guy was dead serious about looking to kill someone. And since Jared was a Traitor, I can only guess that he was looking to kill someone Innocent."
"So, Jared is looking to leave this facility, is he?" Arthur took in this information with wandering thoughts.
"Jared was trying to go and kill an Innocent," Mimi looked down before realizing where Ina was getting at. "Wait! But then, which Innocent would he be after?"
"Well, to figure that out, let me ask someone something," Ina spoke up. "Zuri. What is your status by chance?"
"Huh?" Zuri blinked. "I'm… an Innocent. Why?"
"Then the person Jared was targeting was Zuri," Ina snapped her fingers.
"Why does this feel like you're making stuff up as you go?" Abigail deadpanned. "And why her, specifically?"
"The answer is simple," Ina continued. "I saw two people suspiciously leaving the Mineshaft, the scene of the crime. A little before Mimi stormed off and discovered the body."
Ina glanced away.
Clearly, he wasn't going to mention the fact that they took a small break in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell.
However, as she did so, she noticed two people walking past their little group of five at the moment. One of them seemed to look rather distressed and were walking at such a quick pace. Such a quick pace that only she seemed to notice since she wasn't even focused on the conversation at hand.
She raised an eyebrow.
Was that…?
Ina narrowed her eyes.
"Those two people were of course, Zuri and Holland," Ina declared.
"A-Ah," Zuri widened her eyes.
"O-Oh, that..." Holland blinked.
Zuri didn't say much of anything. She remained silent. Compared to Holland, it seemed like she was definitely hiding something. Or maybe Holland was hiding something too and his stoic expression just didn't show it.
"Okay, so we have a witness to Zuri and Holland leaving the scene of the crime but what?" Haruto folded his arms. "You think this was a two-person job or do you have more to add to your reasoning."
"Well, the better question here to ask is why Zuri and Holland left the Mineshaft in a hurry," Ina explained. "I suspect that it may have something to do with Jared's death. Perhaps they were involved in the altercation with Jared!"
"H-Huh?" Zuri widened her eyes. "W-Wait but..."
"But what about what I saw on the Security Footage?" Mimi asked. "I mean, Jared was in Maggie's Cell."
"Well, this would have occurred shortly after whatever he did in Maggie's Cell," Ina continued. "Jared met with Zuri. An altercation occurred which resulted in Jared being sent to his death in the Grinder."
"Okay, but only problem with your logic," Cassandra jumped in. "Zuri says that she's an Innocent. Jared was a Traitor. So, did you get amnesia and forget what the rules of the Minigame were?"
"Similarly, in fairness to the traitors, if the Traitors kill an Innocent, they will also get to leave the facility for free," Monohebi nodded her head. "However, if a Traitor kills the other Traitor or if an Innocent kills another Innocent… that's too bad."
"Prison Trial time," Mimi frowned, looking down.
"Which is why both sides are going to want to play these upcoming Minigames," Monohebi stated. "So, if any of them wish to kill someone to leave, they better hope they kill the right person."
"If Zuri killed Jared, then she'd be out of here scot-free," Cassandra folded her arms. "And yet here she is, still stuck here with the rest of us."
"I never did say that Zuri was the one who killed Jared," Ina shook her head. "In fact, that was not who I was suggesting at all."
"Then… who do you suggest killed Jared?" Zuri carefully asked. Though, she didn't feel like she was going to enjoy the answer very much.
"Why, the other person with her at the time," Ina remarked. "That person is…
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…Holland."
"Huh?" Holland was wondering where this was going. And now all of sudden, he was being accused?! "W-Wait? Me? You were trying to accuse me?"
"Hang on, why do you think it's Holland?" Zuri was not really happy about that sudden drop. How dare this revolutionary lady accuse her boyfriend like that?
"Because what I know of Holland's status fits perfectly with the theory I have constructed," Ina explained.
"Holland's status…" Mimi blinked. "A-Ah, wait. Of course. You know what his status is…"
"Of course, Holland was one of the assigned Traitors," Ina answered Mimi before nodding her head in confirmation. "I, of course, found out after one of the Minigame rounds."
"...Yeah, I... I'm not surprised Ina knew," Holland rubbed the back of his neck, slightly nervous. "I mean, we did choose to Trust each other during our Minigame rounds. Zuri and Mimi knew as well. And Jared… Well, I'm not sure if he actually knew or not… but he may have a suspicion."
"What do you mean?" Abigail asked.
"I believe it has to do with the 2v1 situations," Arthur folded his arms as he explained. "Monohebi so graciously explained it to me and my sister during the Investigation…"
"You haven't figured it out?" Monohebi blinked. She sighed, shaking her head, realizing just how much she had underestimated these prisoners' intelligence. "In certain 2v1 situations, it has a rather simple function."
Monohebi flicked her tongue.
"If you are an Innocent paired up with a Traitor, the entire team of 2 will show up as Traitor," Monohebi stated. "Assuming both opponents chose Trust, the only information the single player would get is that at least one of their opponents in that team of 2 is a Traitor. Meanwhile, the team of 2 will both share the knowledge of what their opponent is."
"So, for example's sake, Arthur is a Traitor, and I am an Innocent," Ina reiterated for the readers who may be confused. "Our opponent is Jared, who is a Traitor. If we both choose Trust…"
"Mister Caertas will see one status, Traitor, because Mister Kingston, the Traitor, is paired up with you, the Innocent," Monohebi nodded.
"And both of us should be able to see that Jared is a Traitor," Arthur nodded. "I see."
"That is how 2v1 situations work," Monohebi nodded.
"Yes, essentially, if the Traitor teams up with an Innocent, they will be shown as one status, 'Traitor'," Monohebi clarified herself, this time to the rest of the cast. "As I have mentioned before, teaming up is how a Traitor can hide their status. I thought that was obvious."
"But if you're using that to argue that Jared might've after me, then there's already something wrong with what you're saying Ina," Zuri frowned. "Remember the outcome that occurred with me and Holland versus Jared?"
"Pair A: Arthur [DISTRUST] vs Abigail [TRUST]
Pair B: Cassandra [DISTRUST] vs Ina [DISTRUST]
Pair C: Haruto [TRUST] vs Mimi [TRUST]
Pair D: Holland and Zuri [TRUST] vs Jared [TRUST]"
"Holland and I would've shown up as Traitors for Jared!" Zuri argued with a smile of relief. "Meaning, there was no way for him to even single me out as Innocent!"
"Um… actually…" Holland glanced away. "Now that I think about it, there was one way he could've found out…"
"H-Huh?" Zuri was surprised.
Not just because there was a counter to the argument, but because the one countering her was Holland, the guy who was being accused in the first place! Why couldn't he have just kept quiet?!
"...Remember last night?" Holland asked Zuri.
"God, what if someone Innocent goes after you…?" Zuri shook in fear.
"...The same with you," Holland stated, feeling the same fear but not even showing it. "What if a Traitor went for you?... I… I know what I'll do at least."
"A-Ah!" Zuri covered her ears in shock. "Y-You don't mean…"
"Zuri and I let it slip during a talk in her Ultimate Cell what we were..." Holland lightly blushed. He didn't even dare elaborate what their conversation was about. "This occurred last night and seeing how punctual Jared usually is, there's no doubt he may have overheard that conversation and… put the pieces together accordingly."
"H-Holland!" Zuri frowned, disapprovingly. "Y-You're digging yourself a hole that you need to climb out of!"
"...Y-Yeah but…" Holland gulped slightly.
Guess he got carried away somehow.
"And there you have it," Ina nodded to herself. "Jared would've known Zuri was Innocent based on the sole fact that he could have very well listened into the conversation occurring at the Ultimate Bassist's Cell."
"No, that's not right," Haruto shook his head. "Jared couldn't have been at the Security Office that night."
Hey that rhymed!
"And why not?" Ina asked, curiously.
"Because yesterday, he said that he was going to skip out on the Nighttime shift that night," Haruto said. "So, there was no way he could've heard that."
"H-He did?" Zuri widened her eyes. She was surprised Jared would even think about doing that considering how much shit he gave her for not making it to her damned Morning shifts.
"...Does that mean we can expect to see you looking a little better later?" Haruto asked.
"...I just need some time to myself," Jared sighed. "In here mostly."
"What about your Nighttime shift?" Haruto asked.
"...I'll pass tonight," Jared clutched his head. "I just need… a break from everything."
"But what if he did go?" Ina pointed out. "After all, there is no evidence that he truly did not make it to his shift that night. And he just so happens to be our victim in this case, so it is not like we can ask him either."
"Grk, you... have a point," Haruto grumbled.
Well, there goes that idea out the window.
"B-But wait," Zuri began. "Haruto was Innocent too and Jared had the upper hand on him. Jared managed to punch him and locked him in the Sound Booth, right? S-So why couldn't he have tried to kill him instead?"
"Eh?" Mimi blinked, confused.
"No, there was no way for him to know Haruto was Innocent," Abigail shook her head, immediately. "Remember what Haruto and I's outcome was?"
"Pair A: Abigail and Haruto [TRUST] vs. Jared [TRUST]
Pair B: Arthur [DISTRUST] vs. Cassandra [DISTRUST]
Pair C: Holland [TRUST] vs. Ina [TRUST]
Pair D: Mimi [TRUST] vs. Zuri [TRUST]"
"Yeah, Abby and I were teamed up together," Haruto nodded. "Even if I wasn't Innocent, there was no way for Jared to know I was. I never told him anything about my status at the time of his attack. So most likely, his attack on me was to make sure I didn't stop him. Since y'know, I am the strongest in the group!"
"Apparently not if you let Jared knock you out in the Sound Booth," Cassandra snarked.
"Bitch, that was a fluke!" Haruto yelled.
"Wait, you're saying that as if…" Zuri looked a little more disheartened the more this conversation went on. Because now, to them, it really did look as if Holland was…
"Yeah, I was one of the other assigned Traitors," Abigail folded her arms with a sigh. "And since we Trusted, all Jared would've seen was that we were Team Traitors."
"Exactly," Haruto nodded.
"In other words, to continue my theory... Zuri, you were the prime target at the Security Office from the beginning," Ina stated. "However, I believe that before Jared could even reach you, Holland intervened. Their altercation ended up causing Jared to get pushed into the grinder's chute and all is history. After all, you and Holland went off together to search for Jared did you not? And I also saw you two leaving the Mineshaft in a hurry with everyone else still accounted for at Cell Block S. Which in turn, must make you two guilty parties of this crime!"
"Your reasoning is offbeat!" Zuri cut in, waving her hand around as she imitated a really cool rockstar-like pose. "I can understand why you would suspect us. I'll admit, we were at the Mineshaft shortly before the body was discovered but there's something wrong with your theory."
"Are you doubting my sister's deductions?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Um, yeah," Zuri responded as a matter-of-factly. If there was something wrong with a theory, there was something wrong with a theory! She had to doubt! After all, it was her and Holland's life on the line here! "I admit, everything up till the altercation sounds possible but there's just one problem…
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…pushing Jared into the grinder is impossible."
"Wh-What?" Ina blinked. "W-What are you talking about? How could it be impossible? Where is your evidence?"
"The evidence is literally the entire Mineshaft," Zuri pointed out. "Or if you want something more visual to look at, how about the map to Cell Block S?"
(Of course, the map to Cell Block S is something for my readers to look at to understand what the hell Zuri is getting at. And also, a device used for if my readers also can't understand what the hell I'm writing down next!)
"Think back to where exactly the Grinder is in the Mineshaft…" Zuri reminded Ina.
The bassist had a rough idea of the place well. After all, she had been there before, and Holland could always back her up if she messed up and suffered some sort of courtroom penalty.
As for the Mineshaft, it was a pretty giant room. It was complete with railroad tracks and minecarts as well as a set of stairs on the right that led up to another room, overseeing a giant machine located right in the middle of the room. There was also a security camera located at the far-left corner of the room pointed directly toward the end of the giant machine and its rock piles.
"It was… in the middle of the room," Mimi blinked. "Oh! Wait! Where exactly did Ina think Jared would have been pushed off?"
"Well?" Haruto turned to Ina. "Answer the damn question..."
"W-Well, I suppose he would have been pushed off by the balcony," Ina stuttered slightly. "Right by the entrance to the Security Office!"
"Ohhh, I see, so that's why pushing Jared into the grinder would be impossible," Abigail understood. "Yeah, I get what Zuri is talking about. If you remember that the Grinder was pretty much in the middle of the Mineshaft or just look at the map…"
Abigail helped Zuri direct everyone's attention to the map cause right now, that was the only visual thing everyone could refer to.
"...You'll see that pushing Jared off the balcony right at the entrance of the Security Office..." Abigail seemed to be quite content in helping out putting focus on this blatant contradiction. "Would make him land in only one place...
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…The ground floor of the Mineshaft, right on the other side of the grinder!"
"AGH!" Ina felt a wind blow against her jacket. She tugged on the sleeves tightly, making sure that it wouldn't fly away this time. "D-Damn it!"
"Hang on right there," Arthur gritted his teeth. "Perhaps Ina made a minor mistake in suggesting that Jared was pushed off of the Security Office's balcony. Could it not make a little more sense that perhaps Jared was pushed off on the stairs leading up to the Security Office's balcony?"
"What?" Abigail blinked.
"The stairs leading up to-?" Zuri blinked as well, trying to remember what Arthur was talking about.
"Think of it this way instead," Arthur smirked. "Jared got into an altercation with Holland. That altercation led Holland to push him off of the stairs that led to that balcony. Where would he land then?"
Zuri remembered what the Mineshaft had visibly looked like. But for those who had forgotten or have trouble imagining it, here is Mimi to remind you!
"Of course!" Mimi giggled. "So, the minecart starts out right by the entrance of the room. When it's turned on, the minecart moves into that little tunnel hole straight ahead to the other side of the room. Then…"
Mimi ran up to the stairs before standing on the balcony near the entrance of the Security Room. The stairs that she had just ran up on had noticeable railroad tracks just below it and led directly toward the grinder's chute. The tracks would go left from where she stood and into yet another tunnel hole.
"...it comes out from this tunnel hole here, stops over the grinder's chute, and dumps in all the rocks it has inside it!" Mimi explained. "Then it turns left from where I'm standing back into another tunnel hole…"
If you still can't imagine it, take a look at the map!
"Well, the railroad tracks underneath those stairs," Zuri answered. "But what's your point? He still wouldn't have landed inside the Grinder. That machine is a good distance away from the actual balcony and stairs."
"Yes, it is," Arthur smirked. "But if he landed on the railroad tracks, there would still be one possible way in which he could've still landed inside the Grinder…"
"Oh really?" Zuri blinked. "W-What's the possible way?"
"The other way he could've still landed inside the grinder is simple," Arthur smirked. "After all, if he was on the railroad tracks that would've led to the grinder's chute, then wouldn't it be obvious if…
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…he was pushed into the grinder's chute by something?"
"P-Pushed into the grinder's chute?" Abigail blinked, surprised. "B-By something? By what? There was nothing that could've—"
"Fuck me!" Haruto understood. "You think Jared was hit by a Minecart and knocked into the fucking grinder?!"
"That is precisely so," Arthur tapped his head with a smirk. "If Holland knocked him onto the railroad tracks, it would make perfect sense that the only way he would still be 'pushed' into the grinder is if a Minecart came along and knocked him in."
"B-But Jared would've still had ample time to get out of that situation, right?!" Zuri frowned. "I mean, he's a police officer after all! He's built for life-or-death scenarios!"
"With Holland doing anything to stop Jared from killing you?" Arthur pointed out before shaking his head. "Unlikely."
Holland glanced away, trying to come up with some form of defense. But no matter what he thought about, nothing was coming to mind exactly. He needed time to think of a way to rebuke these accusations...
"Y-You can't be the killer, right?" Mimi turned to Holland. "I mean, Arthur and Ina have to be mistaken… right?"
"They are!" Zuri shook her head, frantically. "Holland didn't kill anyone! You guys can't keep accusing Holland like this. I mean, do you even have evidence that the Minecart was used to knock him into the grinder's chute?"
Evidence that the Minecart could have been used? Arthur didn't need that. He needed evidence that could prove that the Minecart was used this way had to have been one heck of a possibility and he knew exactly what that was.
"The evidence is relatively simple," Arthur smirked. "After all…
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…it's the Mineshaft control board. Specifically, the fact that the Minecart System was turned on."
He remembered that piece of evidence well…
"I can answer that for you," came the return of the snake, who so graciously was actually helping them with this Investigation. Arthur narrowed his eyes toward the oblivious snake. "As you know, everything in the Security Office has been shut down for Investigation's sake. But the buttons are left in the way they were last in before I had to manually shut everything down."
"So that means, that before you shut down the functions, both the Grinder and the Minecart System were turned On, correct?" Ina asked. "As… the Control Board detail?"
"Correct," Monohebi nodded. "So, if I hadn't shut them down from my end, the Grinder and the Minecart System would be moving according to how they were planned."
"I see," Arthur smirked. "So, just to repeat. Prior to the shutdown, both the Grinder and the Minecart System were turned On… Interesting."
"That is correct," Ina nodded. "The Minecart System was turned on. And since it was turned on around the time Jared was knocked onto the railroad system, then undoubtedly, it is possible Jared was knocked into the grinder's chute by a Minecart."
"That's still the craziest shit I've ever heard," Haruto grumbled.
"A-And it's wrong!" Zuri exclaimed. "H-Holland didn't push Jared! I was there! Nothing of the sort happened! Holland! Say something!"
"...Well, all I can really say is that I'm not the culprit…" Holland looked at Ina and Arthur with hollow eyes. "But…"
"Then where is your evidence?" Ina perked her head.
"...Yeah, that…" Holland frowned. This was a relative first. He had been pretty unprepared for this Trial. He didn't expect to be accused in the first place! After all, he wasn't sure on how to counter their logic. All he could say was that he was there at the Mineshaft at the time of the crime but, nothing of the sort happened between them and Jared. Jared wasn't even there at the Mineshaft to begin with.
"I apologize Holland, but if you do not have evidence, then we will keep accusing you until it is time to vote," Ina stated seriously.
Holland grimaced.
He was so unprepared for this. He usually had the logic ready at hand but everything Ina and Arthur said so far had made sense. Was there no way to prove Zuri's innocence? He… There was no way Zuri could do anything like that… Not even if it was to save his own life…
No way…
...
"Well, I guess I can finally speak up about this now."
Everyone turned to someone who had pretty much remained silent throughout this interaction. Well, pretty much remained silent until they threw an insult toward Abigail, but this time, they had actually had something productive to say.
"Cassandra?" Zuri blinked.
"What do you want?" Mimi frowned. "Are you going to insult Big Sis Abigail, again? Because if you are, then… then just be quiet! We don't have time to listen to you being mean!"
"No, I'm not going to insult 'Big Sis Abbygail'," Cassandra mocked. "I just thought I shared some evidence, but I guess if you guys don't want to hear what I have to say…"
"...Please share the evidence," Holland turned to Cassandra.
If Cassandra had evidence, then it had to be good right? It had to be some sort of game-changer! Some sort of game-changer to get Holland and Zuri out of this picky situation they were in right now!
"Hey, you even said 'Please'," Cassandra glanced away. "Fine then. Guess I'll show you guys what I found during the Investigation."
Cassandra reached into her pockets to hold out the USB drives. The same USB drives that White Collar had given her before the Trial had started.
"What are those?" Mimi perked her head, curiously.
"USB drives, obviously, dumbass," Cassandra rolled her eyes.
"She meant what was on those USB drives, cranky ass bitch," Haruto glared at Cassandra.
"Well, that should be obvious," Cassandra's mouth slowly rolled into a smirk. "They're drives that contain security footage from each of the cameras in Cell Block S. One of them being the Mineshaft Security Footage."
"W-What?" Arthur widened his eyes. "W-Where did you get those? And… how?!"
"Pft, you guys clearly don't ask the right people," Cassandra rolled her eyes. She folded her arms, remembering what it was that White Collar had told her.
"Because Miss Mura," White Collar sighed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, it's against the rules for Overseers such as myself to supply participants of Killing Games with evidence like this. I only supplied you with this out of good will. After all, if Cassandra Mura died due to voting for an incorrect blackened, that would be very unfortunate… for you."
Cassandra smirked.
"I asked Monohebi if I could get security footage in physical form and she was kind enough to supply me with them," Cassandra glanced toward the snake, who looked genuinely confused.
"W-What are you talking–" Monohebi was silenced by a dangerous look from Cassandra.
Immediately, the snake understood. This was Master White Collar's doing. She hissed slightly at Cassandra. The fact that Master White Collar was giving this stupid skank special treatment was aggravating in so many ways. She could go ahead and out her right then and there but that would spell trouble Master White Collar. So instead...
"Y-Yes," Monohebi reluctantly lied. "Yes, I did."
"Regardless of where you received those camera footage," Ina frowned. "How does this relate to anything we have deduced so far?"
"Y-Yeah, I mean, I appreciate the effort but…" Zuri looked down, remembering something Jared had mentioned back when he was still alive.
"I see," Jared tipped his hat. "And judging by the camera monitors themselves, there's a lot of blind spots..."
"Blind spots?" Abigail blinked.
"It's a classic thing for most security camera systems," Jared explained. "But I think White Collar made his intentions way too obvious with the way some of these cameras are placed. I mean, you can't even see half of the Mineshaft in the Mineshaft Security Footage."
"Meaning it would still be easy for someone to sneak past the cameras..." Holland nodded.
"...The Mineshaft has a big blind spot," Zuri frowned. "Right?"
"...The only thing the camera in the Mineshaft should only see is the end of the Grinder's conveyor belt, those rock piles, and the bottom half of the Security Office's window…" Holland noted, as he was pretty much an expert with those cameras at this point.
"Well, why don't you guys give it a watch?" Cassandra smirked. "I think we can use that projector to showcase the Mineshaft's Security Footage."
Cassandra held out her eHandbook for Monohebi to grab.
"Hey snake, if you will," Cassandra ordered.
"I am not your Master, you skank," Monohebi hissed as she reluctantly did so anyway. Cassandra bitterly glared at her.
It was the snake's fault that this happened in the first place, so who was she to call her a skank. Fucking snake…
…
Regardless of that moment of aggression, Monohebi played the Mineshaft's Security Footage. It was pretty much exactly what Cassandra had already seen and heard…
It was the Mineshaft Security Footage!
The Mineshaft Security Footage started out with a unique angle of the Mineshaft. For starters, the camera was pointed directly toward the end of the grinder. On the screen, what anyone could make out was just the last part of the grinder where the rocks would have already been grinded up, the rock piles that the conveyor belt would lead to, and the bottom half of the Security Office including the bottom half of the window.
Although nothing was moving at the moment, upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a shadowy figure inside the Security Office's window. Because the camera could only see the bottom half of the Security Office's window and because of the grainy visuals, identification of this figure could not be made. But it was still clear that there was in fact a shadowy figure standing in the Security Office.
That's when the grinder turned on. The pebbles on the conveyor belt slowly moved and the sound the grinder would usually make could be audibly heard as well. Then, the shadowy figure left in a hurry.
The next few moments would be straight moments of nothingness except for the loud cranky sound of the grinder.
Then, there was something. And the first thing to note was what remained of Jared's police hat and uniform being transported directly to the rock pile. Then, Mimi walked into the frame toward the end of the Grinder. It seemed like she was pretty curious about what was going on. However, the next moment, Jared's body slowly came out of the grinder in his terrible mangled state.
Mimi instantly screamed, which was also caught on the camera's audio and jumped back in fright. Soon after…
The Body Discovery Announcement sounded.
The footage ended with a replay button for anyone examining it to press in case they wanted to watch it again. But that was pretty much all that was recorded and edited for Investigations sake on the Mineshaft Security Footage.
Once the security footage stopped, everyone was rendered speechless. What the hell were they supposed to gather from that? The only thing they really saw was Mimi discovering the body and that was it! Or… at least, that was what only one of them saw…
"Wow, that's a blind spot alright," Haruto grumbled. "I couldn't see shit besides stuff that we already knew happened."
"Um, didn't you see the thing in the Security Office's window?" Mimi blinked.
"Huh?" Haruto blinked. "What thing? I was more focused on the grinder and where Jared was coming out of."
"Ah, I see," Cassandra snarked. "Haruto's just an idiot."
"Bitch!" Haruto was very much offended by that remark.
"There was a figure in the Security Office's window," Mimi explained. "No doubt, that was the person that activated the Grinder and the Minecart System!"
"Too bad you can't even tell who it is because of this horrendous camera quality," Arthur sighed.
"Regardless, in the footage, you can clearly see that it was the figure in the Security Office's window that turned on the Grinder and Minecart System!" Zuri declared with a smile. "That has to be the culprit! And according to your scenario, Holland had to be the killer because he pushed Jared in, but that contradicts what the real culprit did in the footage!"
"Huh?" Holland blinked. "But Zuri..."
Of course! This security footage obviously proves Holland's innocence! Those figures in the footage could only have been the real culprit! Not Holland!...
…
Ha! She wishes! Because Ina had other ideas!
"Far from it," Ina shook her head, interrupting Holland. "This Security Footage, although placed very terribly, describes exactly what I have suggested."
"Huh?" Zuri seemed downright perplexed. "It still does?! B-But you said that Jared would've confronted Holland! And in the footage, you only see one figure, not two figures! So obviously, there was no confrontation!"
There was no confrontation in Ba Sing Mineshaft?
Ina didn't think so.
"But I also said the confrontation would have taken place on the balcony," Ina stated. "Although my half-brother corrected it into the staircase leading up to the balcony, the point still stands. After all, the confrontation would have happened in the camera's blind spot…"
"But… What about the Security Footage?!" Zuri frowned. "How exactly are you interpreting it?!"
"Well, simple," Ina folded her arms. It seemed she was dead set on pursuing this line of reasoning. "The footage started out with the figure inside the Security Office. That had to be you, Zuri. Jared would have arrived at the balcony. You saw him and then Holland came over. This led to the altercation, and you turned on the Grinder and Minecart systems and left the Security Office to help him."
"The security footage would then be just moments of nothing but the Grinder doing its job," Arthur followed along to Ina's reasoning. "Because the entire confrontation would've been taking place off-screen. Including Holland pushing Jared onto the railroad tracks…"
"N-No…" Zuri covered her ears. This couldn't be happening right now. Holland… Holland didn't kill Jared!
"Precisely so, half-brother," Ina tag teamed. "After Holland pushed Jared onto the railroad tracks, you left the scene of the crime in a hurry for me to witness, leaving Jared to die."
"N-No!" Zuri looked scared. "No! That's not true! I didn't!"
"That is the fair and sound Kingston logic between Arthur Kingston and Ina Kingston!" Arthur boasted, folding his arms together. "Truly the best sibling team this Killing Game has ever seen!"
"I thought I told you not to say something like that again," Ina deadpanned. "Also, we're half-siblings…"
Ina and Arthur still thought that Holland did it. That Jared may have died because of an altercation involving Jared trying to kill Zuri in order to leave. That Holland did it to save Holland. Could this Security Footage have really proven it? Could it really have…?
…
No. Holland didn't think so.
It was his turn to prove his innocence.
This Security Footage was provided by Cassandra because she knew there was a contradiction in Ina and Arthur's line of reasoning. But what was the contradiction? What exactly prompted Cassandra to want to make them examine the Mineshaft's Security Footage? He knew that Cassandra probably wanted to know who killed Jared too. He was arguably someone she was the closest to so… what was the contradiction?
What did Cassandra see…?
Holland pondered this for a moment before realizing. He rubbed his chin. Could this be right? Could this be the answer that would blow Ina's logic right out of the park?
He had to try…
Because as far as he was concerned, the only way to convince these siblings of the truth is solid evidence. Evidence that he now had at his disposal...
Holland glanced up toward the Kingston siblings.
"...Your fair and sound logic has a contradiction," Holland rubbed his chin.
"So, you recognize it too, huh?" Cassandra folded her arms before scoffing. "I guess I'll let you have this one because you're trying to save yourself…"
Gee. How generous.
"While your reasoning sounds on point, there's one thing that doesn't add up," Holland stated. He was back to carry this part of the Trial, baby! "You say that Jared and I had an off-screen altercation. But if that's the case, then…
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
…Where's the sound?"
"Excuse me?" Arthur blinked.
"Sound?" Ina blinked as well.
"The Mineshaft Security Footage has audio, doesn't it?" Holland explained. "In fact, you can hear the Grinder's noise through the footage. So, if that's the case, and Jared and I truly did have an altercation, then where is the sound of us fighting one another?"
"A-A-AHHHH!" Ina felt a wind blow against her jacket as she held onto it tightly.
"Grk!" Arthur felt a cold wind blow against his hair but took it like a champ. He looked slightly annoyed and fixed his hair back to the way he liked it.
"Yeah, Holland's right," Haruto grinned. "If Jared and him had a fight, then theoretically, we should've heard it from the camera! If it can pick up the machine's noise, then it should be able to pick up the sound of him, Zuri and Jared arguing!"
"...That's right," Holland nodded. "Therefore, I can't be the murderer. Because there was truly no altercation between me and Jared, just as Zuri has been saying!"
"Your logic is revolutionary!" Ina interjected, posing a fist through the air as if she were leading an army to war. "I acknowledge that you cannot hear yourself and Jared speaking with one another, but I believe you also have to remember one simple thing."
"...And that is?" Holland raised an eyebrow.
"The distance of the camera itself to its source," Ina stated. "Allow me to explain by asking you a question. Where exactly was the security camera in the Mineshaft?"
"Oh, I know this one!" Mimi jumped in with determination.
She remembered it well from the first time she stepped in the Mineshaft. After all, she had all the time in the world to do it!
As for the Mineshaft, it was a pretty giant room. It was complete with railroad tracks and minecarts as well as a set of stairs on the right that led up to a balcony and an entrance to another room, overseeing a giant machine located right in the middle of the room. There was also a security camera located at the far-left corner of the room pointed directly toward the end of the giant machine and its rock piles.
"It was in the far-left corner of the room!" Mimi exclaimed. "I would say it was directly above the railroad tracks you first see on the left of the Mineshaft!"
"And the camera was also pointed toward the Grinder and the lower part of the Security Office window," Abigail added as well. "What's your point?"
"The point is, the camera itself was closer to the Grinder than it was to where we said the altercation happened, which mind you, is on the opposite corner of the room," Ina explained. "Therefore, could it not be possible that the only reason you could not hear Jared and Holland's altercation was because the camera was simply too far away to capture sound?"
"Too far away to capture sound?" Haruto blinked. "I'd argue that the Grinder is far from the camera too! But it captured it just fine!"
"Yes, but at the same time, the grinder is relatively loud," Ina countered. "The noise would have been captured regardless."
"I would like to add that in addition to that loudness, the grinder could have also overshadowed the sound of Holland and Jared's altercation," Arthur pointed out.
"Okay, but at the same time, I'm an Ultimate Bassist!" Zuri exclaimed. "I have good ears and I didn't even hear any of that when we watched the footage!"
"And why should we believe you, someone who is trying to protect the suspect?" Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"Ah!" Zuri stumbled back slightly before looking down. "I guess you're right about that… But still! It wasn't Holland! I swear to it!"
Holland grimaced slightly. Ina and Arthur undoubtedly were in sync with their logic. This was definitely not the easiest line of reasoning to counter, but it had to be wrong! Holland knew it was wrong! And if he didn't solve it then… he would… Zuri would…
His expression remained stoic as he frowned.
Ina and Arthur countered his point right off the bat. But there had to be a counter to their counter but what?
Ina and Arthur made an excuse for why the camera never captured audio from Jared and Zuri's altercation. Holland knew that there was no way Jared and Zuri could even have an altercation. But how would he prove that? How would he prove that Jared and Zuri never had an altercation? How could the Security Footage…
Holland blinked.
There was one more contradiction.
One more contradiction that they have yet to consider…
"...Yeah," Holland nodded toward Ina and Arthur. "The camera would have only been able to capture the noise of the grinder, right?"
"So, we have finally come to an agreement?" Ina asked. "I understand it may be difficult to accept your fate, but it is the only explanation we have as to how Jared may have perished…"
"No, I still disagree," Holland shook his head. "I am not the culprit. And I can prove it once and for all…"
"Oh?" Ina blinked.
"And how do you intend to do that?" Arthur frowned, snapping his fingers like he was some demon prosecutor with a 40-year win streak. "My sister's logic is flawless."
"Half-sister," Ina corrected.
"Your argument was that the altercation could not be heard because it was far away," Holland began. "On the opposite corner of the Mineshaft's security camera in fact…"
"That is correct," Ina nodded.
"And not only that, but the grinder would be much too loud anyway because it would have been the camera's sole focus given how closer it was to the grinder," Holland continued.
"Where are you going with this?" Arthur frowned.
"...While I think you might be onto something with the volume based on distance, you also forgot to account for one important variable in your argument," Holland began to explain. "Something important…"
Yes.
This had to be it.
This had to be the final piece of evidence to collectively destroy everything Ina and Arthur had built together. Okay, well, everything Ina mostly built, and Arthur tagged along with but still. This had to be it.
What was missing from their equation? We can say that sure, the camera wouldn't have been able to pick up on Zuri and Jared's altercation because they were too far. Sure, we can say that the camera wouldn't have been able to anyway because of the grinder being loud. But the camera should have picked up something that they had yet to mention…
"This is what you forgot to account for... Holland gripped his hoodie. "...You forgot to account for...
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
…The victim, himself, Jared!"
"W-What?!" Ina felt a wind blow against her jacket again, this time, even harder than usual.
"What are you talking about?!" Arthur took his cold wind like a champ once more, which messed up his hair again. "What do you mean we forgot to account for Jared?! He would be on the opposite side of the Mineshaft's security camera! The grinder was loud! All of those are reasons why the sound would not be able to pick up his altercation with you!"
"And what about after his altercation with me?" Holland questioned.
"After?" Arthur blinked.
"After?" Ina asked as well.
"Yes, after," Holland nodded. "Let's remind everyone here what your scenario was. Zuri was in the Security Office. Jared came in with an intent to kill her because of his supposed knowledge of us switching shifts but bumped into me, who was with her at the time. I, in an attempt to save Zuri's life, pushed Jared onto the railroad tracks where he would then get pushed into the grinder's chute by a Minecart. After that, Jared died in the grinder."
"Yes, that is the scenario," Ina frowned. "I see nothing wrong with– Wait… A-Ah… A-AHHHHHH!"
Ina felt another wind blow against her. She held onto her jacket tightly. Damn! That was a dangerous gust of wind!
"W-What?" Arthur was still confused. "What is going on, Ina? What have you found out?"
"She found out why her reasoning does not make sense," Holland stated. "Because the camera never picked up any audio from Jared!"
"W-Why is that so important?" Arthur questioned. "After all, we said that…"
"You said that Jared was on the opposite side of the camera and that is why you couldn't hear him," Holland recalled. "But if he fell into the grinder, then where would he be transported closer to…?"
"I…" Arthur was stuck. Or rather, he didn't want to believe that his sister's logic was false. "...He would have been transported closer to the camera…"
But sometimes, he had no choice but to deal with it.
"And what was your earlier counterargument, Ina?" Holland questioned.
"The point is, the camera itself was closer to the Grinder than it was to where we said the altercation happened, which mind you, is on the opposite corner of the room," Ina explained. "Therefore, could it not be possible that the only reason you could not hear Jared and Zuri's altercation was because the camera was simply too far away to capture sound?"
"Too far away to capture sound?" Haruto blinked. "I'd argue that the grinder is far from the camera too! But it captured it just fine!"
"Yes, but at the same time, the grinder is relatively loud," Ina countered. "The noise would have been captured regardless."
"That's right, Ina also said the grinder was loud!" Arthur remembered as he tried to save his sister's logic. "Far louder than Jared in fact…"
Holland shook his head.
"...Not as loud as Jared would be as soon as he found himself grinded up," Holland sternly stated. "And we never heard him screaming in pain, now did we?"
"Yeah, the only sound on the Security Footage was the Grinder itself!" Haruto nodded.
"And by Ina's logic, we should've heard Jared regardless because he would've been closer to the camera and he would be in pain from the grinder," Abigail nodded.
"...Exactly," Holland nodded. "...So, there you have it. This is why I cannot be the culprit behind this case. There was no altercation between me and Jared in the first place. And Jared wasn't captured on the camera's audio. What do you two have to say about that?!"
"Grk… AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ina felt that wind blow harder than it ever did before. Due to how incredibly powerful that wind was, she was thrown onto the ground and her jacket was launched directly onto Arthur's face like a newspaper being blown around on a windy day. "D-DAMN IT!"
Arthur, on the other hand, stood there with an unamused stance. He folded his arms.
Clearly, he did not take that like a champ…
…
There was silence in the air. Throughout those 8 thousand words that were written, the Trial had reached a point where they could conclude several things:
"So, if I'm getting this right," Mimi began. "What we know so far is just the fact that the camera never picked up audio from Jared."
"The only thing it did pick up was the Grinder," Haruto nodded. "Jared never screamed while he was being grinded up. So, that's already something weird."
"And if Jared and Holland never had that altercation, then I guess we're going back to square one," Abigail sighed. "How did Jared manage to get into the grinder chute in the first place? Because I doubt he was crazy enough to just climb in there himself."
Zuri, meanwhile, looked slightly relieved but still a little nervous. If that had continued any longer, Ina and Arthur would have successfully gotten Holland accused of murdering Jared. She knew he was innocent. But most importantly, she had someone to thank for proving her innocence.
"Thank goodness, Holland," Zuri blushed, looking down. "You… You really had me worried there."
She was totally kissing him after the Trial.
"...It was nothing," Holland stoically said, glancing away. His cheeks tinted pink.
He totally wanted a kiss after the Trial.
"Okay, interrupting this lovebird's scene," Cassandra took charge this time, after sitting back for a bit. "We know for a fact that Kingston 1 and Kingston 2 are nothing more than dumbasses…"
"I acknowledge my mistake," Ina bowed her head, slightly ashamed. "I apologize to Zuri. I really thought I was onto something there…"
"O-Oh, it's okay," Zuri stated, waving her hands. "Everyone makes mistakes. I'm just glad you guys finally believe me."
"Hang on," Arthur frowned. "This still doesn't explain what Ina saw. She said that she saw Zuri and Holland leaving the scene of the crime. Not only that, but she specifically said that Zuri was the one who looked absolutely distressed! If they were not the culprits behind this crime, then why..."
Holland blinked. He had forgotten all about that while under the hot seat.
Zuri on the other hand, looked away.
It was clear she was still hiding something, but what? What exactly was causing her to go quiet like this? Holland wanted to ask her out front, but Zuri mustered up a response. A response that he could tell wasn't the entire truth.
"What exactly are you hiding?" Arthur eyed her suspiciously.
...
...
...
...
...
...
"...Well, if you want the truth..." Zuri rubbed her arms, nervously. "I... was the one who turned on the Grinder and Minecart System."
"So, you were the reason the Grinder and Minecart Systems were turned on?" Arthur blinked in bewilderment. That was not what he was expecting! "Which also meant that you were the reason that Jared found himself ground up in the first place?"
Zuri timidly nodded her head.
"Hmph," Arthur folded his arms with a sigh. "You could've saved us a lot of trouble if you had just confessed that sooner."
"Y-Yeah, I should've confessed that... sooner," Zuri looked away. "I... I just didn't say anything because I was worried this exact thing would happen. I'm sorry for giving you guys trouble."
Holland blinked as he looked at her. It was clear to him now. She was still hiding something. But... what was it? And why? Was it something so bad that she was even willing to hide it from him?
Now that he thought about it...
That was what Holland liked to believe but at the moment, Zuri seemed to be a little distracted by something. He could tell that she was unfocused. Her eyes were staring off into the distance… as if she were deep in thought about something.
"Er, Zuri?" Holland placed a hand on her shoulder.
"A-Ah, Holland!" Zuri gasped, jumping slightly.
Holland blinked.
What was that reaction?!
"A-Are you okay?" Holland asked.
"E-Er yeah, of course I am," Zuri rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "W-Why wouldn't I be?"
"...You seem a little jumpy," Holland looked down. "D-Did I do something wrong?"
"N-No, no no, not at all, I was just…" Zuri hugged herself.
Holland examined her closely. She was definitely nervous about something. Damn. Has she always been nervous all this time? Shame on him for not noticing sooner. He was her boyfriend after all! He had to look out for stuff like that!
She was also troubled during the Investigation too...
"If you're the reason why Jared turned out like... that..." Cassandra glared at Zuri. "Then you better start talking right now. What the fuck happened that made you turn everything on? I want to hear from both of you!"
"...Well, I'm not exactly what sure what happened," Holland rubbed his chin. "But... all Zuri did was turn on everything. I don't know why she did it but shortly after, she just took my hand and urged me to leave with her."
"Then, Zuri, please start with why you turned on the Grinder and the Minecart System..." Arthur folded his arms.
Zuri rubbed her arms nervously.
"...I... turned on the Grinder because I thought Jared was probably being hidden there," Zuri explained. "The Grinder moves like a conveyor belt, so I thought that if I turned it on, we'd be able to see him. But he wasn't there, so I turned on the Minecart System as well."
"Why the Minecart System?" Abigail asked, raising an eyebrow.
"...Because the Minecart was missing," Zuri continued.
"Missing?" Abigail blinked.
"Ah, of course..." Ina blinked as she remembered Monohebi had told them during the Investigation.
"Er… how… is the Minecart rails structured perhaps?" Ina blinked. She was nowhere near as good at asking questions as her half-brother apparently…
"Well, all I can say is that the Minecart railway system always loops around," Monohebi shrugged. "There's also usually just one Minecart so… I don't really know what else I can tell you."
"I… see," Ina looked down slightly.
"There's only one Minecart," Ina pointed out. "So, if you saw it was missing..."
"Naturally, I thought maybe it had to do with Jared's disappearance," Zuri nodded, hugging herself. "So, I turned it On and by the time I came out to check, I saw Jared..."
"You what?" Arthur blinked.
"You saw Jared?" Ina asked.
"I saw Jared and he was heading straight toward the Grinder," Zuri testified.
"...So that's why you dragged me away from the Mineshaft?" Holland blinked.
"Y-Yeah," Zuri rubbed her arms.
"So, in other words, Zuri was the reason Jared got all grounded up like that," Abigail noted. "Which would explain why she looked so distressed compared to Holland to Ina."
"...And why you were so nervous," Holland understood. "I... wish you would've told me sooner. I mean, why keep that from me in the first place?"
Zuri glanced away. There was something else too? Holland blinked. What else was Zuri keeping from him? Why was she so quiet now? If he was her podium partner, he'd totally place a hand on her shoulder and ask her to calm down and tell him carefully, but it didn't seem like she wanted to go into detail any further.
"So, in the end, you have all learned that Miss Auraline was the one who activated the Grinder and Minecart System that led to Mister Caerta's unfortunate disfigurement," Monohebi sighed. "But you've also wasted too much time arguing about an incorrect point. How will you fare throughout the rest of the Trial now?"
"...Well, before we started going on that tangent, I was going to say that we know now that Jared never screamed throughout his… death," Cassandra glanced away. She never wanted to see Jared like that. "D-Do we even know why he didn't scream? Because just from listening to this button-pressing bitch makes me think that Jared wasn't even conscious when he was in the Grinder."
"Oh!" Mimi blinked. "So maybe the real reason why Jared didn't scream was because he was unconscious!"
"The pain of being grinded up would have woken him up," Haruto folded his arms.
"Well, maybe he's a deep sleeper!" Mimi doubled down on her suggestion.
"For someone as alert as Jared usually was, I don't think so," Abigail shook her head.
"It would also have to relate to how Jared even got into the grinder as well," Ina frowned, crossing her arms in thought. She had something and now it was gone. Back to square one she supposed. "Why did he not scream? Why was there no recorded noise of him caught on camera?"
All good questions!
Why did Jared not scream when he was being grinded up? How did he even end up in the grinder in the first place? Why did the camera not catch any audio of him making any noise? They were all questions…
All questions that someone thought hard about before coming up with a conclusion.
"Wait, I think… I think I got it," Abigail grimaced. But if this was the case, then this conclusion would only lead to more questions. "I might have an idea on why Jared wasn't screaming when he was being grinded up…"
"Oh really?" Haruto blinked. "Go for it Abby. What is it?"
Abigail was slightly flustered by him calling her preferred nickname that she nearly forgot what she was about to say. She cleared her throat before glancing away.
"...What if…" Abigail frowned. She had to be right about this. She had to be. It's the only way this made sense. "What if…
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
...
...
...
...
...
…Jared was already dead?"
"Huh?" Mimi blinked. "Jared was already dead?"
"Okay, explain Abbygail," Cassandra crossed her arms. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Well, it would make sense, wouldn't it?" Abigail asked. "If he was already long dead, then Jared would've obviously made no noise while getting grinded up."
"Okay?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "And if that's the case, then how do you think dead Jared ended up inside the grinder in the first place? What, did his killer just toss him into the grinder's chute?"
"Toss him?" Mimi blinked before turning to Haruto with a paled expression. "N-No! Big Bro Haruto! Please don't tell me it was you who did it!"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Haruto deadpanned. "A dead body ain't even close to a basketball, kid."
"Oh, phew," Mimi sighed in relief. She couldn't lose another friend. Not like this.
As for Abigail, she had considered this question before but now, she knew the answer to how Jared ended up in the grinder was much simpler than Ina and Arthur had made it out to be. She folded her arms together.
"The answer to how Jared ended up in the grinder is easy," Abigail nodded. "Based on what Zuri had said and the fact that he was already dead, then all the killer really needed to use…
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
...
...
...
...
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…was the Minecart."
"The Minecart?" Cassandra glanced at Abigail with narrowed eyes.
"Ah, I see," Arthur grimaced. "So, I suppose I overthought the solution by a tidbit…"
"By a tidbit?!" Mimi blinked toward Arthur. "We spent 8 thousand words trying to disprove your tidbit!"
"8 thousand what–?" Haruto glanced at Mimi, confused.
"It was actually my tidbit but… okay," Ina remarked.
"...The answer was easier than expected, huh?" Holland looked completely dumbfounded. He got accused because of some people overcomplicating the solution. That was a moment to go…
Bruh.
"Yeah, it really was that easy," Abigail nodded before explaining. "Jared was already dead. So, the killer put his body into the Minecart. And then... I think they kind of betted on Zuri, or at least someone, to turn the Grinder and Minecart System on."
"Okay, next question," Cassandra frowned. "Why?"
"Why?" Abigail blinked. "H-How should I know? Point here was explaining why Jared never screamed throughout the grinder process…"
"And you did just that," Haruto jumped in to help Abigail. "I think what Abby suggested has to be right on the money. As for the why, I think it's easy to figure that out…"
"Uh-huh, and what would that be?" Cassandra glanced toward Haruto.
"Ain't it obvious?" Haruto grumbled. "The reason why the culprit would want a dead body to get grinded was…
…
…
…
…
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…
...
...
...
…to hide the Cause of Death."
Cassandra gritted her teeth before looking away. She definitely already figured that out. She just didn't want to say it herself. Even hearing it now kind of hurts.
"This bastard," Cassandra mumbled to herself. "Messed up Jared just to hide how they really killed him?"
She was not happy.
"So then, if Jared was killed before he was put into the Grinder," Mimi surmised. "That would mean that he was probably killed… before the events of what took place in the Mineshaft Security Footage, right?"
"...What do you mean?" Holland turned to Mimi, slightly intrigued.
"Well, if I remember correctly…" Mimi began to recall the Mineshaft Security Footage.
Although nothing was moving at the moment, upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a shadowy figure inside the Security Office's window. Because the camera could only see the bottom half of the Security Office's window and because of the grainy visuals, identification of this figure could not be made. But it was still clear that there was in fact a shadowy figure standing in the Security Office.
That's when the grinder turned on. The pebbles on the conveyor belt slowly moved and the sound the grinder would usually make could be audibly heard as well. Then, the shadowy figure left in a hurry.
"The Security Footage started with a figure in the Security Office," Mimi recalled. "Based on what Zuri said, this figure must've been Zuri herself. And you see her turning on the Grinder and Minecart System, because of everything turning moving in the footage. And if he was dead for a while, he would've been dead before Zuri and Holland even entered the Security Office!"
"Well, yes, that should be obvious," Arthur folded his arms. "I don't see where you're going with this."
"Well, if Jared was dead before everything got turned on, then where was his body this entire time?" Mimi questioned. "Remember, after we found Haruto, we all tried to look around for Jared and we couldn't find him until he popped out from the Grinder. The closest was him in Maggie's Cell but then he just went up and disappeared!"
"Oh, I see," Ina gave Mimi a supportive smile. "You are saying that his body would have been hidden. Given how long it took for us to actually find him physically, that is an interesting topic that we should explore."
"Uh… yeah," Mimi nodded. She definitely wasn't happy that it was Ina who was trying to understand what she was saying though.
"Excellent deduction Mimi, that was exactly what I was thinking!" Ina tried to give her a little positive outlook.
"...Mhm, yeah," Mimi looked away, awkwardly.
"I… I feel as though I have just been rejected," Ina looked slightly hurt behind her positive face.
"I suspected he was hidden as much," Zuri timidly nodded, glancing away.
"Okay, but then there's another question now," Cassandra sighed, irritated. "If Jared did die before being grinded up, then where was he hidden? Apparently, all of you idiots spent a long-ass time trying to find him right after Haruto said he was off killing people. So, if you guys spent all that time looking and came up nothing, then where exactly could his body have been hidden?"
"That is certainly a question, indeed," Arthur mumbled.
Yes, where would the body have been hidden? There were so many places they could start but none of them were sure about the answers they may come up with. This was definitely a topic that needed to spark a specific discussion.
…
"Maybe the culprit hid the body in the grinder," Haruto suggested.
"Explain yourself," Ina folded her arms.
"Well, according to Zuri," Haruto began. "She saw Jared moving along the Grinder's conveyor belt! So, he could've been hidden in the Grinder at the time!"
"Dude, did you forget?" Abigail shook her head. "She said that she turned on the Grinder but didn't see anything until after she turned on the Minecart System."
"Then maybe he was hidden in the Minecart, and no one checked it?" Mimi perked her head.
"That's a dumb idea and you know it," Cassandra retorted. "The Minecart was missing, remember? Missing until Zuri turned on the damn Minecart System. So, how could Jared have been-"
"No, wait, I think Mimi might be onto something here," Arthur stated.
"I am?" Mimi blinked. "So, my idea was smart?"
"Not the way you're thinking about it," Arthur shook his head. "Simply put, your idea is missing a step."
Missing a step?
What was Arthur talking about?
What step could've been missing to Mimi's scenario. As a friendly reminder, her scenario was that Jared's body was hidden in the Minecart. Arthur claims it was missing a step. And that step is…
"The body could have very well been hidden in the Minecart," Arthur nodded. "And in order to make sure the Minecart was missing, all they needed to do was…
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…
…
…
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…
...
...
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…hide the Minecart."
"Hide the Minecart?" Cassandra blinked before glaring at Arthur. "How the fuck do you hide an entire Minecart?"
"Yeah, you can't actually detach the Minecart from the actual rails," Haruto growled before looking slightly confused. "Er… can you?"
"No… that'd be a pointless waste of time..." Holland shook his head. "It would take way too much effort and I doubt anyone would be able to carry a Minecart anyway. I think there was a simpler option that Arthur figured out."
"So then... you're saying the Minecart was hidden… while it was still on the rails?" Zuri was slightly confused. "But then, where exactly could the Minecart be hidden in that case?"
"I suppose I have to explain that then," Arthur raised an eyebrow before sighing slightly. It seemed no one was able to break through that thinking box. "I'll say it plainly for you. The Minecart was hidden…
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…within the walls of the Mineshaft."
"The fuck?!" Haruto looked absolutely flabbergasted by that idea.
"Jared's body was hidden in the Minecart that was in turn hidden behind the walls?" Abigail looked surprised by that revelation. "That's…"
"A fantastic way to hide a body if it had all of you getting confused like this," Arthur scoffed.
"Please explain half-brother," Ina placed a hand over her hips. "How could the culprit have pulled this off?"
"It's simple," Arthur smirked. "Think back to how the railroad tracks are structured..."
"Of course!" Mimi giggled. "So, the minecart starts out right by the entrance of the room. When it's turned on, the minecart moves into that little tunnel hole straight ahead to the other side of the room. Then…"
Mimi ran up to the stairs before standing on the balcony near the entrance of the Security Room.
"...it comes out from this tunnel hole here, stops over the grinder's chute, and dumps in all the rocks it has inside it!" Mimi explained. "Then it turns left from where I'm standing back into another tunnel hole…"
"The railroad tracks all lead to tunnel holes," Arthur stated. "And then loop around after the Minecart dumps whatever was in them, into the Grinder. Meaning, beyond the tunnel holes is a railroad system that we cannot see."
"And that is where the body was hidden?" Ina blinked.
"Of course," Arthur nodded his head. "The culprit would have killed Jared and dumped his body into the Minecart. To make sure no one would find the body for a long amount of time, the culprit made use of the Minecart System. It's a relatively easy trick. Think back to how the Minecart System operates."
"It operates with an On and Off system," Abigail answered.
"Exactly, now, in order for the culprit pulled this trick off, all they had to do was press On and move the Minecart through the tunnel," Arthur explained. "Once the Minecart is inside of the tunnel and out of reach and sight, all you do then is press Off. It's as simple as that."
"And then that way, the body would have been hidden within the walls…" Zuri noted.
"And no one would've found the body… until someone pressed the 'On' button for the Mineshaft," Haruto surmised. "Which was exactly what Zuri did, and that prompted the Minecart to dump the body into the Grinder..."
"So, by the time Zuri came out of the Security Office, she would've already seen Jared's body heading toward the Grinder..." Holland noted.
"Precisely," Arthur extended his arms out like a hug. "Brilliant, isn't it?"
"You can't swindle me out of this one!" Cassandra interjected as she thrusted a middle finger directly into the snowboarder's line of sight. "That's a neat trick. Too bad it's not the right answer."
"So, you've decided to challenge me on this," Arthur looked serious. "What is so wrong with my logic that prompted this?"
"I'll tell you what's wrong," Cassandra folded her arms with a glare. "You've forgotten something important that links to Jared's death."
"What do you mean?" Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"In your scenario, you claim that Jared was killed and put into the Minecart," Cassandra recapped, closing her eyes in thought. "Then the killer hid the Minecart so no one would find Jared's body. But in that case, that also means that he was hidden there for a really long time, and no one found him."
"Well, yes," Arthur nodded.
"I'm still unconvinced," Cassandra stated. "Because by suggesting this, you're also suggesting this would've occurred right after Jared was killed."
"I still don't see what I've forgotten…" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"The Time of Death, obviously," Cassandra folded her arms. "Remind me, what exactly was the Time of Death?"
"The Time of Death is unknown," Mimi answered Cassandra.
"Exactly," Cassandra huffed. "And if the Time of Death is unknown, then this would also mean that the killer had to have found a way to alter the Time of Death as well."
"Well, yes, but– Grk!" Arthur finally understood where exactly Cassandra was getting at.
"Tch, now you understand," Cassandra shook her head. "If Jared was killed and then hidden alongside the Minecart he was in, then when exactly did the killer have any time to alter the Time of Death?"
"...Yeah, that is a contradiction," Holland noted.
"Well, the answer to that is simple, isn't it?" Abigail blinked. "What if Jared was killed somewhere that would've already altered the Time of Death?"
"Oh really, Abbygail?" Cassandra deadpanned. "And where exactly would that be?"
Abigail knew she was getting somewhere when trying to retort Cassandra's statement. The issue here was when the killer had the time to alter the time of death. Abigail thinks that the time of death would've already been altered based on where he was killed…
"Well, there's only really one place I can think of where he could have been killed in this instance…" Abigail stated. "And that is…
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…
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...
...
...
...
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…The Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell."
"M-My Ultimate Cell?" Arthur widened his eyes in bewilderment before folding his arms with a deep frown. "Someone utilized my Ultimate Cell as the scene of the crime. How absolutely horrendous!"
"Welcome to the club," Abigail shook her head.
"I burned my Cell so…" Ina sighed.
"So how about it, Cassandra?" Abigail asked. "If Jared was killed in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell, Time of Death wouldn't have been recorded properly because of how cold it would be in that Cell and especially with all of the snow in the area."
Cassandra pondered this for a moment.
She hated to admit this, but Abbygail made a strong point about this. If Jared really was killed in an environment that would already alter time of death, that would put Arthur's point into perspective. But there was only one problem with that, and Cassandra had the perfect piece of evidence to counter that…
"...A good point, unfortunately, it's also not the right answer either…" Cassandra smirked.
"Huh?" Abigail blinked. "Do you have evidence?"
"Course I fucking do," Cassandra noted before taking out her piece of evidence. "And this evidence proves why your scenario makes no fucking sense…
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…Camera footage to the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell!"
"A-Ah damn it, I forgot you had that-" Abigail winced, after being taken aback by her revealing that other USB drive.
"Since you clearly watched it, go ahead and show us what the fuck is on it that disproves everything Abigail is suggesting," Haruto folded his arms with a glare.
"With pleasure," Cassandra smirked before holding it up and gesturing Monohebi to slither over, take it, and then project what would be shown on the screen.
Though, of course, the snake was less than amused to be her little helper for the day again, because as soon as she slithered over, she gave the scam artist a hiss before taking the drive and plugging it into the projector. Then, the screen showed what Cassandra would've seen during the Investigation…
It was the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell Security Footage!
The Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell Security Footage started out with a viable view of the overall Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell itself. Based on the angle, it looked like it was directly above where the decorative winter trees would be. It was able to see the back of the snowmen gathered together, the chair lift which didn't seem move, the large snow hill which covered the view to the castle, the snow machine by the entrance of the Cell and by default, the entrance of the Cell.
The footage played for about a minute with no visible audio and an unchanging image on the monitor.
Seriously?
Nothing fun happened in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell?
Boring!
The footage fast-forwarded for a bit. Then it ended the same way the Mineshaft's Security Footage did: with a replay button for anyone examining it to replay and pause at their discretion. But that was pretty much all that was recorded and edited for Investigations sake on the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell Security Footage.
"As you can see, the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell security camera recorded nothing in the actual Cell," Cassandra stated. "So, the fact that Jared was killed here is a big, fat ultimate zero."
"Gah!" Abigail was taken aback by this counter.
This was definitely the counter of all time. If the security camera caught nothing in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell, then that meant that she was wrong about her scenario. That meant that Jared was killed elsewhere and if he was killed elsewhere, that still brought up that other question that Cassandra was confused about…
"Knowing all this now," Cassandra noted. "Do you see why it's so damn confusing? I mean, when and how would the killer have messed with the time of death in this case in your hiding the body scenario?"
So that was the point she was trying to get at. The time of death was still a big mystery in this case and unlike previous cases, it was a bigger mystery than it usually was. This wasn't some instance of intense fiery heat, cold pool water, or ice pack condensation… this was something relatively unknown…
Ina rubbed her chin in thought. The only thing that made sense was Abigail's scenario, however. And if that was the only scenario that made sense, then how exactly could it have worked? What information were they missing here?
…
"Hmm, Cassandra, by any chance, do you know when the footage on this video was recorded?" Ina asked.
"Well, according to… Monohebi," Cassandra glanced toward Monohebi. "The footage on this camera was recorded at some time before Jared's body was found."
"...Yes…" Monohebi glanced away. "Indeed…"
"Why do I sense some sort of hostility between you two?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
There was no response to that regard. But Mimi had a question instead. Because if the Snowboarder Cell's camera footage was recorded a little before noon, then…
"Couldn't Monohebi be lying about that?" Mimi pouted. "I mean, what if it was really recorded like, yesterday or something and that's why the camera never captured anything?"
"Do you dare claim that I may have altered video footage illegally?" Monohebi's eyes glinted as she hissed in irritation. "I make sure rules are followed. Altering video footage that could hinder a Prison Trial, is strictly against the rules!"
Well, technically this was all created and edited by White Collar… At least that was what was going on in Cassandra's mind. She highly doubted White Collar would be that much of a prick to just screw over an entire Prison Trial with illegally altered video footage.
"So, this is really security footage from a little sometime before the body was discovered?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, it is," Monohebi nodded.
At least, Monohebi hoped it was. Master White Collar did it himself but compared to her, he had a little more freedom when it came to the regulations of the Killing Game.
"Then there is already a problem," Ina nodded toward Cassandra.
"What?" Cassandra blinked. "What problem?"
"If the security footage captured is to be believed to have been captured at some time before Jared's body was discovered," Ina began. "Then it is missing something…
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…Where are Arthur and I?"
"W-Wha–" Cassandra jumped back before getting slapped across the face by wind. "Agh!"
"That's right," Arthur nodded, remembering their activity during the morning.
It was an Ultimate Cell that was filled with snow. Even with the snow boots and winter clothing she had to change into, the winter breeze was strong thanks to the snow machine and coldness radiating from all this makeshift snow. She hugged herself tightly, wondering why she would even bother coming in here in the first place.
But then again, perhaps they might find Jared hiding here somewhere…
"Isn't this nice, dear sister?" Arthur breathed in his Ultimate Cell with a smirk. "The winter breeze? The whiteness of the snow? The feeling of freedom, blowing against your face? It's truly magnificent, isn't it?"
"...I feel no sense of freedom," Ina merely responded. "We are still in a troublesome facility are we not?"
"During our scuffle in looking for Jared, Ina and I were in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell," Arthur nodded.
"You were?" Zuri blinked. "But then, there's already a contradiction with that!"
"There is, isn't it?" Arthur smirked.
"Um… yeah, that's what I just said," Zuri sheepishly remarked. "Anyway, if you two were in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell then, why didn't the camera capture you in the footage?"
"Maybe they were in the camera's blind spot?" Haruto blinked.
"...No, the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell security footage doesn't have terrible blind spots like the Mineshaft Security Footage," Holland noted. "The blind spots are located directly underneath the camera itself. It should have been able to pick up anyone from the hill, the snowmen, and the entrance of the Cell."
"And we should have at least been captured on film as soon as we walked in," Ina nodded.
"So Monohebi was lying!" Mimi frowned. "This security footage was recorded at a time in which no one walked into the room!"
"I told you already," Monohebi's eyes glinted. "I do not lie about something quite obscene."
"Tell that to the evidence!" Mimi pouted.
"No, I think Monohebi is telling the truth," Abigail jumped in, fiddling with the tip of her purple hair.
"Really?" Haruto blinked toward Abigail. "But if she is telling the truth, then there has to be a reason why the camera never picked up on Arthur and Ina entering the Cell right? Especially since the camera should've captured them because the blind spots are so damn far away!"
Abigail thought about this carefully. Why didn't the camera pick up Arthur and Ina arriving at the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell to search for Jared? What could've caused them to not appear at all? Was there anything in the footage that was currently paused that could tell them something?
…
Wait.
Of course!
There is something that was noted for the camera footage. Something that she seemed to notice. Something that was most definitely overlooked and for a really serious reason.
"...I think I got the answer here," Abigail nodded. "I've figured out why the camera never picked up Arthur and Ina…"
"W-What?" Haruto blinked. "Really?"
"Well, hurry up and say it Abbygail," Cassandra rolled her eyes. "What's the damn answer?"
"The answer as to why the camera never picked up Arthur and Ina…" Abigail began. "It's actually really stupid could the reason why is because…
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…the camera was frozen?"
"W-What?" Haruto blinked.
"H-Huh?!" Cassandra thrusted back as she felt another wind slap her across the cheek.
"F-Frozen?!" Arthur widened his eyes before frowning and slamming his fist against the podium. "What blasphemy are you spouting?! Are you saying that the Security Footage we had just watched was nothing more than a still image?!"
"Based on the fact that what we've been watching has been nothing more than an unchanging image, yeah," Abigail crossed her arms. "I think we've been watching a still image."
"A- A still image?!" Mimi widened her eyes. "H-How is that possible?!"
"...It's because of the cold," Holland realized, rubbing his chin.
"Th-The cold?" Mimi turned to Holland in bewilderment.
"...Depending on the security camera model you use, extreme temperatures could very well end up having some sort of negative effect on what you may see on the camera displays themselves…" Holland noted. "No doubt, the camera would've still been working but the image it would've shown on the monitor…"
"Would be frozen…" Zuri blinked.
"But the fact that it broke today is still mighty suspicious!" Mimi pouted. "Maybe the security cameras were tampered with?"
"No… the cameras were broken from the very beginning," Haruto noted. Yes. Now that he mentioned it…
One screen showed the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell from the leftmost corner when one enters the room. It had a clear view of the snowmen, the hill and a part of the snow castle which was kind of blocked off from view from the snow hill. Oh, and also the chair lift to that hill as well, which didn't seem to move. No one was seen on the monitor, so that probably meant Arthur and Ina had long left the area.
"But how did nobody notice that before?" Mimi asked. "I mean, we had six days to check those cameras! People were on shift, weren't they?"
"It was probably because of the snow," Arthur noted. "Since my Cell snows quite frequently, it would be quite easy to miss the fact that what anyone would be staring at in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell would be a still image."
"Combined with the fact that generally nothing happens in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell anyway," Haruto grumbled.
"Alright, let's not go too far there," Arthur lectured the basketball player.
"Weren't you the one who got pissy when Abigail brought up the fact that Jared might've died in your Cell?" Haruto deadpanned.
"Okay, while snow can damage the cameras, I still can't believe this," Cassandra folded her arms, slightly rubbing her cheek. "I mean, come on! It can't be that cold in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell!"
"There's snow…" Haruto bluntly put it. "What do you expect the temperature to be like?"
"Well, maybe it wasn't that bad in the very beginning," Cassandra tried to argue. "Unless you have some way to prove that the camera could've been broken since the day we discovered the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell…"
Could they prove that the conditions in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell were so cold that it could very well have damaged the security camera itself? Clearly, someone already knew the answer to this conundrum.
"It is no worries," Ina shook her head. "We can certainly prove how terrible the conditions if we simply...
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…refer to the Cell door itself!"
"The Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell door?" Mimi blinked.
"Ah, of course," Arthur nodded in understanding.
An open door that seemed to have stopped in the middle of closing. One could easily access what was beyond the door, but it was the door itself that was rather peculiar. Ina was the first to point it out in confusion.
"What is up with this door?" Ina asked. "It seemed to be in the process of closing but then somehow got stuck. Or rather, maybe it shut down?"
"Simpler than that, actually," Arthur surmised as the revolutionary turned to her half-brother. "The door is merely frozen. The extreme colds mixed with these metal doors must've caused the door to malfunction before it could even begin to close."
"My Ultimate Cell's door is frozen wide-open," Arthur nodded. "It was because of the extremely cold temperatures that allowed it to stop in the middle of closing…"
"Agh!" Cassandra started to sweat. "And you found this out…"
"On the day we discovered my Ultimate Cell," Arthur smirked before nodding toward Ina. "Great job, dear sister."
"Half," Ina corrected before turning to Cassandra.
So did Abigail, as she was the one who made this point in the first place.
"So, how about it now?" Abigail noted. "If the security camera was frozen since the Snowboarder's Cell was first discovered, then obviously it would have still been frozen today, when we all looked for Jared. And moreover, it would've also been frozen when Jared was being killed in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell!"
"Aghhhhhh!" Cassandra tried to block the wind this time, but the wind of pursuit was so strong, it slapped Cassandra across the cheek anyway. "FUCK!"
…
There was brief moment of silence as the prisoners stood still to consider this fact now. The fact that the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell's Security Footage was frozen could very much mean that something would've happened in that Cell without much detection. But... was that really the case?
"So, Jared was killed in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell," Zuri summarized. "And that was why the time of death could not be determined. Because he was already killed in a place that was too cold?"
"Yeah, that's what I think anyway," Abigail nodded.
"But… can we really conclude on that?" Haruto questioned.
"What do you mean?" Abigail blinked. "You don't think that's the right answer? I mean, it solves the Time of Death conundrum, doesn't it?"
"It's a good theory, Abby," Haruto placed a hand on his hips. "But I'm not damn sure if maybe that is the right answer…"
"I agree with Haruto," Ina nodded. "While it could solve the time of death conundrum, Arthur and I did not find any evidence that proves anyone else entered the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell besides us."
"Huh?" Abigail blinked. "No evidence? Then why did you let me go on a tangent about that in the first place?"
"The Security Footage that Cassandra showed had me a little distracted because of how strange it was," Ina looked down slightly. "I am sorry."
"So, in the end, it was still Cassandra's fault," Haruto turned to her.
"Oh, shut it Haru-No-Toes," Cassandra rolled her eyes.
"But why are you guys so suspicious of this possibility anyway?" Zuri perked her head confused. "I mean, it makes perfect sense! Jared was killed in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell! That's how the time of death got messed up. And because the security camera in the Cell shows a still image, it wasn't caught on camera, and it couldn't record any audio to boot!"
"I have a problem with it because it doesn't make a whole lotta sense," Haruto sighed. "If Jared was killed in the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell, then why the fuck would they go and hide him behind the damn walls? The Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell seems like a good spot to hide a body for a really fucking long time anyway..."
"Yes, and as my sister has said, there was no evidence of any crime taking place there beforehand..." Arthur repeated. "And we were within the vicinity of the Cell by the time the body was already discovered, so there's no way the crime could have occurred after we left."
No evidence at the potential crime scene? So, did that really mean that the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell was not the true scene of the crime? And if so, then it's right back to the drawing board of asking that question once again…
What could have altered Jared's time of death?
…
Holland instantly realized something. Something he had remembered someone saying. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe how much they had overcomplicated the situation at hand. No. This had to be how Jared's time of death was really altered…
"...I… I don't think anything really happened at the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell at all," Holland said. "While it is a good theory, it's not the correct theory."
"How can you say that?" Abigail blinked.
"Well, Arthur and Ina both said that they found no evidence of anything related to any crime at the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell," Holland stated. "And Haruto is right. The Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell was already a good place to hide a body. There's no reason to move it to put extra work and move the body in the Mineshaft. And if that's the case, then by default, it must mean that the time of death being altered had to come from elsewhere… And I think I know where…"
"That's Holland coming out to give us the answer!" Mimi beamed. "Then tell us Holland! Where did Jared's time of death get altered?"
"...Jared's time of death got altered…" Holland began. "It can only be here…
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...
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…the Mineshaft!"
"Th-The Mineshaft?" Mimi blinked.
"We're back here now?!" Cassandra raised an eyebrow in bewilderment.
"Yo, what the fuck are you talking about?" Haruto exclaimed, confused as fuck.
"The answer to how Jared's time of death got altered was much easier than we were letting on," Holland explained. Man, they were really overthinking this stuff. "For anyone who's even been to the Mineshaft, tell me… what was the temperature like in it?"
"N-No way…" Abigail widened her eyes.
"Wow, it's a little stuffier here than it was yesterday," Abigail tried to breathe in whatever fresh air she could muster out. "Kind of hot too."
It was almost making her feel faint as well.
"...One of the perks of being inside a cave filled with machinery I guess," Holland shrugged.
Zuri gulped slightly. Her face turned beet red. She couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly out of embarrassment.
"...Um, did the Mineshaft feel hotter than it normally does or is it just me?" Zuri asked, sheepishly.
"...It's just you," Holland told her with a small smile on his face.
"It was always hot and stuffy," Abigail answered.
"Hot and stuffy?" Arthur blinked.
"Hot and stuffy," Abigail folded her arms together. "Is… Is that really how…"
"...Yeah, I think that's how time of death was altered," Holland noted. "I'm… also willing to bet the culprit didn't even intend to alter the time of death when hiding the body."
"They didn't mean to alter the time of death?" Mimi asked.
"I see," Arthur nodded. "The culprit's plan was simply to hide the body and then grind it up to hide the Cause of Death. The Time of Death was an unintentional bonus."
"But how?" Mimi asked, confused.
"Because if you keep a dead body hidden behind the walls of a very stuffy and hot cave… then what will happen to the time of death at that moment?" Arthur pressed.
"A-Ah, that's…" Mimi widened her eyes.
"So, in other words, Jared's dead body was roasting from behind the Mineshaft walls?" Haruto widened his eyes. "Jesus Christ… That's fucking messed up."
"So let me get this straight," Abigail jumped in, unconvinced. "Jared was killed and in order to hide the body so none of us would find it, he was placed into the Minecart and hidden behind the walls of the Mineshaft. Then because of the heat in the tunnels, his time of death got messed up…"
"Yes, and what is the problem with that?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Theoretically speaking, if I was the killer, I would've just kept the body hidden behind the walls forever," Abigail shook her head. "Because one, no one would be able to discover a body and initiate a Prison Trial, and two, I'm pretty sure heat makes the body decompose faster. So, the Cause of Death would have already been hidden in that instance. Now my question is, why bother with the Grinder then?"
"...You're saying that the Grinder wasn't actually used to cover up the Cause of Death, now?" Holland raised an eyebrow.
"Well, if I was the killer, I wouldn't have needed to use that anymore if I can just hide a body where no one would look," Abigail noted. "Besides, the machinery was turned off for a reason. There would be no reason for anyone to turn it back on anyway..."
"Yeah, no reason until Zuri did it anyway," Haruto pointed out.
"A-Ah!" Abigail blinked.
Haruto made a solid point.
Hiding the body behind the walls would've been enough for the culprit. Leaving it there would've been enough. Keeping all Mineshaft mechanisms off would've been enough. But then Zuri came along and destroyed the culprit's plan. If she hadn't pressed the buttons, then...
"Are you saying that if I didn't turn everything on, Jared's body would've never been found?" she widened her eyes.
"Probably," Arthur noted. "But I expect that the body would've still been found at some point in time..."
"Really...?" Abigail blinked. "Why?"
"Oh, I see…" Haruto rubbed his chin. "So that might explain why…"
"Why what?" Abigail frowned.
"...If you leave a dead body roasting behind a hot and stuffy cave wall, then obviously…" Haruto began. "This might be what Arthur is talking about. Why the body would've still been found anyway...
…
…
…
…
…
…
...
...
...
…the terrible smell from the body!"
"Th-The terrible smell?" Abigail widened her eyes.
"Yes, Jared had a foul odor coming from his corpse," Ina nodded her head.
"What a foul odor," Arthur grumbled as he found himself staring at the body. "It smells like… rotten eggs."
"Rotten eggs?" Ina widened her eyes.
She kept her distance. She wasn't sure if she could even handle being near a body like that, so she'll just have to rely on her half-brother to find the necessary clues. But the first clue that Arthur mentioned… rotten eggs. Was that what rotting corpses usually smelled like?
And why did it smell so familiar?
"Yes, rotten eggs," Arthur nodded. "Something of that sort. Just smelling it now is making me feel quite light-headed. Best close your nose on this, dear sister."
"It smelled like rotten eggs," Ina nodded. "And the only reason that might have happened, was because he spent so much time getting heated up behind the Mineshaft walls."
"Yes, when the rate of composition gets sped up by heat, a foul odor is to appear," Arthur nodded. "And that is why we can expect the body to have been found at some point in time."
"Because of the scent…" Mimi glanced away, not wanting to remember that putrid smell.
"Christ Almighty, we're dealing with a fucking sicko murderer here…" Haruto grumbled.
"But here comes something I don't get," Abigail frowned. "If that was how Jared's time of death got ruined, then now we run into a problem. Because... if it wasn't the Ultimate Snowboarder's Cell where he was killed then... Where exactly was Jared originally killed?"
"D-Do we have anything that could tell us that information?" Zuri widened her eyes.
…
That was when Cassandra widened her expression into another small smirk. It was clear that she had more to show. More to show in the form of USB drives. She held out another one.
"I think I might have something that can tell us exactly where he may have died…" Cassandra stated.
"Another one?" Zuri glanced at her, dumbfounded.
"She definitely has every single Security Footage with her," Haruto grumbled.
"Monohebi, if you will," Cassandra raised her third USB drive into the air for Monohebi to slither over and grab.
With a hiss, Monohebi begrudgingly grabbed the USB drive, wondered why she was even doing this, and plugged it into the projector for all to see.
It was the Ultimate Supermodel Cell's Security Footage!
The Ultimate Supermodel Cell's Security Footage started out with a peculiar angle of the Main Stage of the Ultimate Supermodel's Cell. It was important to note that the only thing the camera was able to see was the door on the right that led to the Dressing Room, most of the fashion runway, although the door on the left as well as some parts of the runway were cut off by the camera's blind spot. In short, the camera angle was pretty much directed toward the right side of the room rather than the left.
Not much happened in the first two minutes until the sounds of a struggle was heard. There was grunting and what seemed to be chairs being tossed around off-screen. That was when Jared in his police hat and uniform, was thrown into the frame. It definitely seemed like he was fighting an unknown assailant because the moment he caught his breath, he charged back into the camera's blind spot.
Then, there was a sudden silence. Nothing much happened for a while, but the footage also didn't fast-forward either, meaning, according to White Collar, something was going to pop out soon.
Then a loud sound of a slam could be heard.
Moments later, a loud hissing noise could be heard as well.
The footage ended with a replay button for anyone examining it to press in case they wanted to watch it again. But that was pretty much all that was recorded and edited for Investigations sake on the Ultimate Supermodel's Cell Security Footage.
The entire room was silent. They tried to comprehend what they had just seen. Although it was plagued by blind spots, the narrative that they saw was all too clear. And of course, Mimi was the first to react to this piece of evidence.
"Th-This is what I saw!" Mimi gasped. "This is the moment Jared fought against the Wolf! The bad guy! His possible killer!"
"Hm, so I suppose you were telling the truth," Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"I told you I was!" Mimi yelled at Arthur. "And you didn't believe me! Bet you feel stupid now, huh you mean old, icy Troll!"
"T-Troll?" Arthur blinked.
"So, what we have here could very well be Jared's final moments…" Ina concluded. "But then..."
What did this mean?
This footage only led to more questions. If Mimi was telling the truth this entire time, then that would mean they were going to have to explore the possibility of figuring that out. The mystery of...
"...See?" Mimi beamed, proudly. "I told you they were in there! I told you!"
"God fucking damn it," Haruto turned to Cassandra with a rather irritated expression on his face. "I'm fucking sick of you just hiding shit all the time. This could've seriously saved us a lot of time y'know!"
A fine reaction indeed!
"Sure, but then we wouldn't have solved the mystery of what happened in the Mineshaft, then would we?" Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Now that we know that Jared's body was hidden in the Mineshaft, we can at least know where Jared was really killed."
"Which was... the Ultimate Supermodel's Cell?" Abigail questioned. "And based on the time of death... that can also be judged... based on the time Mimi saw the footage, right?"
"Oh yeah, Mimi," Haruto folded his arms. "You mentioned something like that during the Investigation. Mind repeating it for everyone to hear?"
"You got it!" Mimi nodded, looking more determined now that the Kingstons weren't making a fool out of her.
"Without going into fairytale mode," Haruto emphasized.
"Aww..." Mimi looked down before sighing. "Well, I guess I can start by saying that while Big Bro Haruto and Big Sis Abigail were talking in Cell Block B, I decided it would be a good idea to use the Security Cameras to track down Jared. It was around that time, that I saw him in the Ultimate Supermodel's Cell fighting someone, which was pretty much everything you saw on the Security Office. After I saw him, I ran down toward the Ultimate Supermodel's Cell."
"Once she got there however, the door was already locked," Arthur folded his arms, joining in.
"Yes, it had apparently been locked for a while, so I had to use my eHandbook to manually unlock it," Ina nodded. "But when us three walked inside, Jared and whoever he was fighting wasn't there."
"We searched the entire area," Mimi nodded. "It was like they just disappeared."
"...The door was closed?" Holland rubbed his chin. "So, let me get this straight. Jared and his killer were inside the Supermodel Cell, fighting while the door was closed. By the time Arthur, Ina, and Mimi had managed to open the Cell, they had disappeared?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Mimi nodded.
"...Mimi, did you press the GC button that connects to the Supermodel's Cell door?" Holland asked.
"No," Mimi shook her head. "I didn't press anything. Or wait… actually, now that you mention it… I did press the GC 3 button, but I immediately pressed it again after I saw the timer."
"What about the button to GC 1?" Holland asked.
"GC 1?" Mimi blinked as she recalled what the state of that button was...
Most notably about these GC buttons was that currently only the GC 3 button was lit. She tapped her chin in thought and pressed on the button. After all, it was the only one that was lit. And when one thing is lit up, that means, monkey brain, press button, right?
Mimi pressed the GC 3 button, causing the button to be unlit, and noticed the five-minute timer begin to play.
"A-Ah!" Mimi gasped. "L-Let's not do that!"
Mimi then pressed the GC 3 button again and instantly, the timer shut off. She sighed in relief. Then, she noticed that the GC 3 button was now lit again… But wait, if these unlit buttons could be relit then theoretically…
Mimi pressed the GC 1 button.
Nothing happened.
"Yeah, that's right," Mimi nodded. "The button to GC 1 was unlit at the time. And if that's the button to Maggie's Ultimate Cell…"
"Then that must mean that the door had been closed for a while!" Abigail noted. "But wait… that would that also mean that Jared and the killer were locked in a room together for... at least five minutes then, right?"
"Yeah, it would," Haruto nodded. "But Mimi testified that when Ina opened the Cell, the three didn't find anyone inside."
"Tch," Arthur chuckled. "Heh heh heh…"
"Oi, what the hell's so funny, Kingston?" Haruto glared at the cold snowboarder. "Was there something wrong with what I said?"
He cracked his knuckles.
"Not at all," Arthur shook his head. "I just found it amusing because I figured out exactly what kind of case, we're dealing with here now…"
He had kept his eyes closed for a while. But this time, he looked up as if to give off some sort of dramatic effect as his smirk widened. He was clearly enjoying what he was going to say next.
"It's a murder mystery classic," Arthur smirked.
...
...
...
...
...
...
"A Locked Room Mystery."
DANGANRONPA: CORRUPTED HOPE
Ooooh! A Locked Room Mystery! (Goddamn it nooooo!)
But here it is! Trial Part 1! Honestly don't have much to say. Just overall really nervous over how people might think this Trial will end up XD This was definitely a hard Trial Part 1 to not only write but to edit as well cause I had to like rewrite after I finished writing everything and that was super painful to do so ;-; And then after the Investigation, I had to add scenes and write a little more-
Also, I didn't sleep last night :D
Whoops!
Hope you enjoyed Trial Part 1 and look forward to Trial Part 2 where your questions will all be answered greatly! :D Part 2... needs to be edited some more but in the grand scheme of things, we are nearing the end of Chapter 4 :D
Final predictions on whodunnit starts now! Leave me a reviews, theories, opinions, thoughts, anything! I love to hear what other people think and if you are entirely off the mark, then you have made me very nervous ;-;
Prisoners Remaining: 8
Abigail Ellsworth - The Ultimate Equestrian (oddlyillregular) [1,000,000]
Arthur Kingston - The Ultimate Snowboarder (SinWriter7) [0]
Cassandra Mura - The Ultimate Scam Artist (ExtraMeme) [500,000]
Haruto Walker - The Ultimate Former Basketball Player (theotakureader101) [0]
Holland Delaney - The Ultimate Game Designer (Sempi) [1,000,000]
Ina (Hamamura) Kingston - The Ultimate Revolutionary (VividIsSleeping) [0]
Mimi Kazoo - The Ultimate Fairytale Writer (Idraegan) [0]
Zuri Auraline - The Ultimate Bassist (CandleFire45) [1,000,000]