Week 4 - Trial

[cartesio]

Week 4: Trial

It's dawn when the Sergeant calls everyone to the courtroom. Despite the early hour, the tribunes of the room are as full as the last two times, sleepy townspeople glaring and looking at the visitors with distrust. The Sergeant told everyone to get to their spots. Anyone who looks behind them, will see the bailiffs carrying Sting Eucliffe away, who is trying to resist them but doesn't seem to have enough strength to do that well.

"Don't worry about him. That guy ate a lot of ice and frost for reasons I don't understand, and now he has a very bad cold. I don't want him making everyone in this room sick, so he's excused. No, that's not a hint all of you should get sick to avoid these trials."

There are more podiums draped in black now. Clarisse, Eric Lecarde, and Jughead Jones have joined the dead, and their podiums look lonely without their occupants.

With a twirl of the gavel, the Sergeant recites:

"Today the trial will focus on solving the murder of..."

He takes a PDA out of his pocket, and holds it in the air. The PDA's text-to-voice software says: 'Forsythe'

"...Pendleton Jones the Third. The circumstances need no introduction, we all are aware of them. Here are your suspects"

            
Once everyone had a moment to see the faces in the photos, the Sergeant adds:

"By the way, there are two separate culprits today. Yes, two of these five people directly caused Jughead's death. When it's time to vote, remember to vote for two different people."

Let the trial begin.

Links

Evidence
Guestbook
Voting

[Welcome to the trial! Please remember to cast your votes here!. Your deadline is 8:00 PM EST. Good luck!]

Comments

[robitussin]

So, if you haven't dealt with medication in nearly ten years, wouldn't it be hard to remember the specifics of a lot the things you could have found here? I don't think it's out of line to assume you might have gone for cyanide if you were trying to kill someone.

[saladandeggs]

Ten years tends to ingrain that sort of thing in you, never mind the fact that I still communicate and occasionally work with my brother, who also works as a psychiatrist. Niles - he actively deals with medicine, and we’ve attempted to start working together as recently as...five years ago? I still fill in to moderate his counseling groups and the like.

Forgive me if I’m being a bit scatterbrained, but what I am getting at is that having been in my line of work as long as I have, as well as having daily contact with a brother in that same profession as well as maintaining communication with colleagues in the field. Well. It’s hard to forget some things.

[robitussin]

...Okay.

[All the same:]

One last thing. Can I see your jacket for a second?

[saladandeggs]

Ah, well. Just be delicate with the material.

[He removes it, quickly folds it, and hands it to her.]

mods?

[robitussin]

Right, sure.

[She noticed him dust it off a moment ago, so she's going to unfold it and give it a look for anything that seems suspicious or out of the ordinary.]

[cartesio]

[ Nothing suspicious. It's a high-end jacket, very well taken care of. ]

[robitussin]

[After a moment, she hands it back to him, trying to fold it the same way he had.]

Thanks. When's the last time you cleaned it? It seems pretty neat.

[saladandeggs]

I try to clean it daily. Especially as it is currently my best jacket here.

[Putting that back on.]

[robitussin]

Why were you brushing it off a few seconds ago? Worried there might be something on it?

[silvertongueheir]

...indeed. Even if it is some sort of habit, he would be more likely to have done so after you handled it.

[saladandeggs]

It’s a tic, people. Force of habit. You’re entirely welcome to check my hands or...or the ground.

[robitussin]

Okay, then. Give me your hands first.

[saladandeggs]

[He holds out his hands - he can do the cutting sarcasm afterwards. For now, he’d like to clean his name.]

mods!

[robitussin]

[She moves closer to look over them, including under his nails.]

[cartesio]

[ Very clean. Just...so clean. This is a man who appreciates proper hygiene. ]

[robitussin]

[I can't believe all the sniffing that's happening here, but—

Do they smell like anything?]

[odasaku]

So any evidence would be washed off that way.

[saladandeggs]

Ah, yes. All the “evidence” I’ve accumulated since going onstage. And preparing for the show - being well-groomed isn’t a crime.

[quickpersuader]

It's not, but cleaning your shoe soles is probably excessive.

[saladandeggs]

I haven’t cleaned my shoe soles recently - but can you blame me if I did? They were three hundred dollars!

[silvertongueheir]

It takes quite some courage to say that when we can all see your soles are exceptionally free of grime.

[saladandeggs]

They’re certainly dirty from the fact that I’ve been in the park for hours now!

[relieable]

Is that why you put your weight on your hands? To not get the soles dirty?

[saladandeggs]

...DEAR GOD, DO YOU THINK I’M A LEOPARD?!

[silvertongueheir]

And yet they are still cleaner than all of ours.