Game is over! Judge Zelger, CowboyBebop solved the mystery! Thanks to everyone for playing, Cowboy gets a 9.99 GOG, the other 2 contestants have automatic reserved spots for the next murder mystery. Everyone did a great job, thanks for bearing with me as I begin to learn how to operate this format!!!!

THE VICTIM: JOSEPH COSTA

A middle aged man hosting a dinner party for friends. He had a reputation as a hard working, stubborn, brutally honest businessman. Tough, but fair. Never involved in shady business practices so far as anyone knew.

He was quite wealthy. He was well-liked by almost everyone, but some were jealous of his success, envious of his wealth, annoyed with his stubbornly held principles or bothered by his unwillingness to change. Women ocassionally vied for his attention, but he was much more focused on his business and children than anything else.

Years ago, his wife was also murdered in a mysterious fashion. She was found shot on the side of the road near their old house. The police had a few leads, but each ran cold. He had sworn he wouldn't give up looking for the perpetrators and that he would bring them to justice one way or another. So far as anyone knows, he didn't have any information about who murdered his wife by the time of his own murder.

He had an excellent relationship with his children, Alexa and Billy, as well as most (but not all) of the guests at the dinner party.
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THE NIGHT OF THE CRIME

These friends made a habit of having such a party every week: the first week of the month, Hon. Michael Zelger would host, the second week, Dr. Peter Morris, the third week, Joseph Costa and the fourth week, Joseph's best friend, Paul D'Souza. Then at the beginning of the next month, they would do it all over again.

This week, everyone ate a wonderful dinner consisting of a pasta fagioli appetizer (made by Costa's lawyer, Charlie Wheeler) and prime rib (cooked by Joseph Costa himself).

After dinner, everyone went their seperate ways.

Guests took turns using the bathroom.

Beth Grabner returned to the living room to practice her piano. People heard the piano being played.

Billy Costa went upstairs to his bedroom to study. Study? Yeah, right. He's kind of a slacker. Alexa Costa checked up on him, and says he wasn't studying but goofing off. Alexa, meanwhile, got pushed down by a mysterious assailant on her way down the stairs and into the hall to check on her father after she heard a scream.

CC Morris felt inebriated and retired to the lounge, where her husband Dr. Peter Morris tended to her. Morris was struck on the head by a mysterious assailant in the hallway outside the lounge.

Hon. Michael Zelger stepped outside on the terrace to smoke a cigar.

Horace Kim and Charlie Wheeler went to the kitchen to help cleaning the dishes.

No one is sure where Margie Donnelley went exactly, but both of the Morris' say they saw her pass the study, and Wheeler claims she entered the kitchen briefly, then turned around and left abruptly, as if startled. Horace Kim does not remember seeing her, even though he and Charlie Wheeler were both in the kitchen together.

Paul D'Souza, the decased's best friend, hasn't shown up to the party even though he claimed he was on his way. Where is he?
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SCENE OF THE CRIME

The scene of the crime was the study. The study is near the stairs to go upstairs. Next door to the study on one side is the lounge and the other side is the living room. The terrace outside is connected to the study. The study is the across from the dining room. a hallway connects the study, lounge and living room.


______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________

CAUSE OF DEATH

The cause of the death was a stab wound to the neck with a letter opener. Joseph Costa was opening letters at the time, so that would make sense. The letter opener is missing. He then bled out.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________

CONJECTURE

1. The deceased fell on his back, so it appears he was stabbed from the front.

2. It looks like he had only a few seconds to put up a fight.

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OBSERVATIONS

1. His chair had been toppled over.

2. The mantleplace over the fire near was in disarray, all the objects had been knocked off of it and onto the floor. There are multiple items lying there.

3. Billy Costa claims that a small carved statue which had been on the mantlepiece is missing. No one else remembers such an item ever being there. Charlie Wheeler has suggested that if such a statue exists, Joseph Costa might have been using it as a secret storage container for some gold coins that he had recently purchased.

4. Three feet away from the body lies a large kitchen knife. The knife is clean, and does not appear to have been used in the crime.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________

DISCOVERY OF THE BODY

The door was opened wide when the body was discovered, and all of the guests appear to have arrived at the crime scene at approximately the same time and entered the room together. Horace Kim and Charlie Wheeler arrived a minute later than the others, but they had further to travel from the kitchen. Billy Costa took a minute longer than that, coming downstairs from his bedroom.

What sort of commitment do you require here? I mean, I did not follow your RPG contest since I was afraid I may not have the time to participate.

Can I, for example, just log in no more than 15 minutes every morning before work, and 15 minutes during lunch hour daily (local time of course)? Or do you need more active participation than that?

PS: interested in Dr. Peter Morris part.

PLAYABLE CHARACTERS

1. Dr. Peter Morris (A middle aged surgeon.)

In his youth, Dr. Morris was a wild, partying man. He dabbled in alcohol and light drugs. He was especially good with the ladies, and maintains quite a charm to this day.

At the age of 40, he settled down with his now wife. His days of partying are behind him and he now lives in a more quiet, contemplative fashion. He no longer drinks or has any other addictions.

Like most doctors, he has been sued a few times for malpractice. Fortunately, he has an excellent lawyer and has never lost a case. Overall, his record practicing medicine is phenomenal and he is trusted and well respected by the community.

Defying the expectations about doctors, he actually has excellent handwriting, and a penchant for writing everything down. He keeps detailed records about his life and accomplishments, and even writes short stories here and there.

His relationship to the victim is that of a long time friend. They went to school together. They never became best friends because they pursued different hobbies and interests, but they were always in good standing with each other and have never had a major disagreement.

As a bit of a social butterfly, he told his wife he was excited about having another gathering because there would "be a ton of people there."

His wife is at the dinner.

Strength:

Charm: Though they may still lie, female NPCs answer your questions more descriptively and accurately than they do for other investigators. Plus, you get an extra private interrogation question each round (the extras can only be asked to females.)

Description: Dr. Morris was and still is a ladies man. Females melt in his presence, and are more likely to accept his decisions. This has been especially useful when trying to convince a patient of a particular diagnosis or not to stray from a regimen he has suggested.

Weakness:

Memory Loss: you had a clue about the murderer, but you can't remember it anymore. (Other players start with a clue, you don't.)

Description: right before the murder was discovered, you were struck on the head and have suffered short term memory loss. The assailant (or someone sympathetic to the assailant) may have hit you to cover it up. Since no one was able to flee the scene before the discovery, you hope that interviewing the suspects will trigger a recollection.
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2. Ms. Alexa Costa (young woman in her 20's)

The young, raven haired bespectacled daughter of the deceased is a photographer for a small time magazine. She receieves a considerable monthly stipend from her father, so that she may continue her artistic pursuits.

Most consider her to be a very sweet young lady, with a heart of gold. They admire her tenacious pursuit of her talents against all odds (though they're not sure they will ever make her serious money.)

Unlike the other two investigators, she does not have a history of substance use or criminal behavior (at least not that we KNOW of.)

Dedication to her craft has made her a bit socially awkward around strangers, but not being a socialite has made her more gifted in other areas.

Specifically, she is excellent with computers, having studied them in her spare time.

She has developed a bit of a cult following on the internet, and spends a lot of time interacting with the men she meets online, though rarely will she venture out to actually date them in real life.

Her brother is at the dinner. She and him are at odds sometimes, but she's always had a tremendous relationship with her mother (deceased years ago) and her father (now deceased). The loss of another family member pains her greatly.

Before the discovery of the crime, someone came running out into the hall and bowled over her. It happened so fast that she couldn't figure much out about the suspect, not even the suspect's gender. But she remembers something about what they were wearing, and that leaves her with 3 main suspects... she's keeping this info secret for now (it will be revealed in PM).

Strength:

Observation: you notice visual clues that others miss out on.

Description: one of the perks of being a photographer is that you see the unseen. Alexa has better eyesight than the other investigators, and she knows what to look for. Sweeping a room for just a couple seconds can yield observations that would take 5 minutes for others.

Weakness:

Shy: in the first round, you may only ask 1 private question, rather than 3. After, you may ask the same amount (3).

Description: the downside of Alexa's shyness is that she takes awhile to warm up in social situations. Regarding the dinner party specifically, she knows many of the people present but has been very quiet all night. In fact, she has hardly spoken a word until now, and people are likely to raise their eyebrows when she does begin investigating. It will take a little time for her to find a groove socially before she can nail down specific events of the case. (After all, she hasn't even made small talk about the weather yet!)
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3. Hon. Michael Zelger (a middle aged judge.)

Having once led a life of crime, Michael Zelger has turned his life around and become a judge. (Taking a play out of Judge Greg Mathis' playbook, you follow?)

Judge Zelger was never convicted of a crime, but was brought up on charges on one occasion in which he was alleged to have committed burglary and assault. Since then, his record has been clean, though some question his judicial ethics at times.

He takes a very hard line stance against crime of any kind. He has been threatened multiple times by gang members.

He is very wise with his money and has accumulated much jealousy for this reason.

He is a fan of the theater and is frequently seen taking in the latest plays. He is involved in funding some of them, including one that an actress at the party was involved with... he revoked funding for that play.

His relationship to the victim is that of cousin. Though they once fought for the heart of a woman they both loved, they have never since quarreled. At the time of the murder, they were in very good standing with each other.

The woman in question happens to be at the party. (She never married, nor did Zelger.)

He heard something suspicious around the time of the attack that leaves him with a set of suspects, but he's keeping that quiet for now (Will be sent to you in PM.)

Strength:

Lie detector: has a 25% chance to tell if someone is lying in their response to him in private questions.

Description: Having had early experiences with crime, and later experiences with the law, Hon. Michael Zelger has learned to seperate the truth from fiction. He can read someone's facial expressions to decide whether they are lying or not.

Weakness:

Falling out: actress and former fling will probably never tell him the truth and may in fact actively deceive him.

Description: Both the actress and the former fling have reasons to dislike Judge Zelger, and neither of them seem willing to help him, even if it means solving the case. During dinner, the former love interest shot cruel looks across the table at Zelger, and he nearly lost his cool.

Other guests (People that you can ask a question of publicly - on the thread or privately - via PM)


1. Billy Costa:

The son of the deceased, and brother of Alexa Costa. He may have knowledge of his father's life that others don't. He is a college student and broke at the moment, living with his father.

2. Margie Donnelley:

The deceased's favorite actress, he developed a friendship with her during the afterparty of one of her plays. She seems unlikely to provide vital clues, but then again, the best clues often come from unlikely sources. Don't they?

3. Charlie Wheeler:

The lawyer to the deceased, also an excellent cook. He brought that tasty pasta fagioli that everyone enjoyed before dinner. May have knowledge of the deceased's financial dealings and definitely knows the details of the deceased's last will and testament. Would he be willing to tell you anything about it?

4. Cecilia "CC" Morris:

The wife of Dr. Peter Morris and a friend to the deceased. She is a homemaker. Though her husband no longer drinks, she still partakes. She is slightly intoxicated at the moment. She's also a talented singer, and entertained everyone before dinner by singing a song, with accompanying piano playing by Beth Grabner. She likes to think outside of the box, and may have some interesting theories about the murder to share.

5. Beth Grabner:

Many years ago, she was a love interest to the deceased as well as Hon. Michael Zelger and maybe even someone else at the dinner, given her reputation. At the time of the murder, they were just friends... but not on the best of terms. They were often seen bickering. She is currently employed as a hair stylist, and hears much of the local gossip while clipping and snipping. She may have some gossip to share with you, or maybe not.

6. Horace Kim:

A former business partner of the deceased. They have been on rocky terms ever since, though they maintain a cordial enough relationship. He might have knowledge of the deceased's current business deals. Perhaps there was a financial motive for the crime.

Missing guests (guests who have not appeared yet, you may not ask them anything yet because they aren't here.)

7. Paul D'Souza:
The best friend of the deceased. Probably knows more about him than anyone else. He was supposed to be there for the dinner but hasn't surfaced. He left hours ago, and the trip should only have taken him 45 minutes. Where is he?

The reason I asked is because I do not want to ruin your game in the case that it turns out I cannot actively participate. But if 15 minutes in the morning plus 15 minutes at lunch time daily is enough, I think I can participate. As for taking an hour to read the background story, I guess I can do so offline, so that should not be a problem.

Alright, I guess I'm in. Not that I have any detective skills whatsoever, so I'm just in for the fun :-D

Public Evidence (Evidence revealed to all characters through searches)

Current searchable rooms

1. Kitchen
-Back door locked and bolted shut. Does not appear to have been opened all night.

2. Dining Room

3. Study (Crime Scene)
-Window was found opened a little, very odd considering the weather.

4. Living Room
-Piano is a player piano.
--Two windows here, dusty. They have not been opened (or cleaned) recently.

5. Lounge
-Object used to strike Dr. Morris is NOT here.
--There is a window here. You tap it, and it flies open. Apparently it was not shut carefully.

6. Terrace
-Cigar stub found.
-Gold coin found in the bushes. There may be more here. Charlie Wheeler says the victim, Joseph Costa just purchased those coins.
-The Judge discovers a statue, weighing over 1 lb., inside the bushes. Inside are several gold coins. The edges of the statue are sharp to the touch, and nearly cut him when he picks it up at the wrong angle.

7. Hallway
-Object used to strike Dr. Morris not here.

8. Stairs.
--A torn piece of navy blue fabric was found at the base of the stairs, outside the lounge. This roughly correlates to the area where Alexa Costa was knocked over before the discovery of the murder.

9. Bathroom

Current Examinable Evidence (If you hear about anything else, you can look at it too of course.)

1. Body of the Deceased
-Minor cut on palm of right hand

2. Knife found at the scene
-4 inch blade. Does NOT match those found in the kitchen.

3. The mantle near the body

4. The pile of items fallen from the mantle.
--A framed photo of the Costa family featuring Mr. & Mrs Costa, Alexa and Billy. Billy is the only one not smiling in the picture.
--Pieces of a broken vase.
-- At least 3 pieces of paper with writing on them, burnt by the fireplace and scribbled over. Assorted bits and pieces lie around as well. 2 of the pieces have been examined, 1 remains.


Every character besides Dr. Morris has given their handwriting samples, including the deceased and Paul D'Souza. .Letter 1 matched Horace Kim's writing, though he tried to hide it. Letter 2 does not match any of the samples collected thusfar.

LETTER 1 (Matches HORACE KIM's handwriting)

quences for disruption of this sh
mendous. Be careful that they are
sited on the one that made the f
ion here and that would be y

sist in frustrating my moves
y result in your own u
re, I suggest you take this t
k your own approach he
se there are few in the
d that have given you mo
he doubt than m
n't you re e a ?

ts on this matter is th
etain a majority share a
nge,

LETTER 2 (DR. MORRIS has admitted to having written this.)

would be to merely move on. Am
unted? Yes t tre is no cha
...There is ly the recog tion
orrow is a new day, and I look fo
ing the sun se again, kno
erson, re will be no more sunr
s assured me that I will have
ost upport and for that I am s
teful.

ing forward with this in min
e, now have all the more rea
to cont gle against these demon
f y are ones that are r
responsible for t mise
m hands, the bla
y he d, the e mad

LETTER 3 (Matches the handwriting of letter 2, DR. MORRIS admitted to writing this.)

The letter is burnt and torn, from what you can make out, it reads:

6, a mere 16 years of age, entrusted to my c
or what? So, I could en life throug my re
havior? If I just had one less, that's what I
f. But one is never enough, it bec es 2, it b
ore I know it, I'm lying facedown promi
r to do it again. Now t sad specter wi
ague my career ever, because I had t
the procedure. But not only my career, b
life. If ever there should be eater curs
a secret.


5. Dr. Morris' head:
-not cut, but forehead swelling and purple.

6. Driveway:
-Paul D'Souza's car was there after all, he had been attacked by a woman wearing blue and was lying unconscious in the snow.

7. Billy's Room:
-It does not appear that Billy could have escaped through his window in order to murder his father and return to his room without being seen.

8. Front Door: unlocked

9. Bathroom:
--Beth's makeup kit is elaborate.
---There is a 6 inch by 6 inch window in the bathroom. You can't figure out how to open the damn thing up!


CLOTHING

Characters wearing navy blue:

1. Billy Costa
2. CC Morris
3. Beth Grabner

Beth and Billy have been examined closely and do not appear to have ripped clothing.

CC denies having ripped clothing, but has not been examined thoroughly.


Heavy boots:

Dr. Peter Morris
Alexa Costa
Maggie Donnelley

Light boots/sneakers:

Everyone else.

Hands: Only hands with a cut (of sorts) belong to the victim, Joseph Costa.

Public testimony (what the player characters and non-player characters have said in public, when questioned.)

1. Billy Costa:
--Claims not to know anything about the gold coins his father (the deceased) allegedly purchased in the weeks leading up to the crime.
--Believes that Mr. D'Souza is at the house, somewhere.
--First noticed the statue on the mantle yesterday. [LIE DETECTED BY JUDGE ZENGER.]
--Says father never owned a gun.

2. Margie Donnelley:
"I walked by the study after dinner but didn't see anything suspicious."

On whether she entered the kitchen after dinner: "I didn't go in, no" she whispers, "I just went to grab a glass of water.. and both of them [Horace and Charlie] were there, I saw them kiss. I just, ummmm, never would have guessed. If you ask me, the reason they are so foggy on their story is that they don't want to raise suspicions. I figure there was no way either of them committed the crime."

3. Charlie Wheeler:
"Neither I nor Horace left the kitchen between the time of the dinner and the scream."
--Knife at the scene of the crime does not match kitchen knives in the house.
--Billy has the most to gain from an inheritance.

4. CC Morris:
"Someone very close, but not intimate." (When asked who is the killer?)
--Not sure why Paul D'Souza is missing.
"Uh... no, of course not, Peter. [scowls] Why would you ask me that?", she says, reprimanding you. (When asked by her husband if any of her clothes are ripped.)

5. Beth Grabner:
--Joseph Costa was upset for a few days leading up to the murder. He was worried about a difficult decision that he was about to make.
--Claims to have been alone when playing the piano after dinner.

6. Horace Kim:
"I think Charlie Wheeler left the kitchen at some point. I was kinda lost in thought for awhile."
"Beth Grabner, myself, CC Morris and ummm... I think 1 other person." [left during dinner]
"Beth and CC went towards the bathroom during dinner at the same time."
"I went down the hall towards the study, to stretch my legs."
"I was washing dishes in the kitchen with Charlie Wheeler after dinner."
On the contents of his letter to the deceased: "Joey, damned fool. Always a bit too honest. Told him, you can't do business like that. I was planning a move, needed his financial banking. The old bugger wouldn't go along, heh, just because there were some 'ethical' concerns. Stubborn, stubborn man."

7. Paul D'Souza:
---Claims to have been attacked by a woman wearing blue on his way into the house.
---Says he was the last guest to show up.


8. Dr. Peter Morris:
"Beth does CC's hair, and they play music together sometimes."

"Everyone except Paul was at dinner."

"Alexa left the table at some point during dinner."

On the two "letters" discovered: "They weren't, uh, letters... those are bits of my journal. Apparently, he.. took them. Stole. I'd appreciate them, uh... back. They have no place in this crime...surely." [LIE DETECTED by Judge Zelger]

"You are right, my friend, you are right.

I wasn't lying about the journal part, those were entries in my journal. From many, many years ago... if you don't believe me, just look at the paper for yourself. See how old it is?

It's all from back when I was drinking. You know I haven't touched a glass in years...that was all true. But, I don't want you to misinterpret what they say... please don't, we've known each other too long for that. Oh, what's the use!

I just, I somehow feel like they are.. that my journal entries are a part of the case. That was what I was lying about. Only, it's a half-lie, because.. whether they are truly involved or not, I can't tell you.. I just FEEL it.

I don't know what I remember. I'm telling you the god's honest truth, right now, I don't know what I remember.. it's just flashes.

I remember the thud... my head.. it aches. I think I was hit on the head in the... in the study. Not the hallway, not the lounge. Is it possible?

Owwwwwww," he cried, grabbing his head, as if at war with his memory.


9. Alexa Costa:
"3 other people got up from the table during dinner. There was Beth Grabner and CC Morris got up at the same time. Horace Wheeler also left the table once."

"The scream I heard before the murder was discovered was definitely the voice of my father."

--Says father never owned a gun.

10. Hon. Michael Zelger:

I guess I'll try it... why not, right? I'll be away tomorrow morning though so I can get started in the afternoon some time.

I might want to try that other game too that you have open right now, but again, I'll look at that tomorrow.

Accusations: Accusations are made in public (on the thread) and must have all of the following:

1) Murderer or Murderers:
2.) Motive:
3.) One piece of evidence:
4.) Theory (how did it happen?):

Sure.

Go Jays: since you didn't indicate a character, I didn't sign you up yet. Secure enough to play as the woman, I hope, since she's the only one left? :)

If so, just let me know and I'll let everyone start asking questions.

Pretty much everything you need to know at the beginning is already there. I'll let you know when we "officially" get started, but there's already a lot of info there to check out... might be able to come to some preliminary ideas.

A bit daunting indeed, but I think I'll stay :-D

I will be offline in about an hour, so I'll probably start tomorrow morning, local time (GMT + 7).

Got it. When you're ready, you can post anything here in the thread looking to observe a particular room, examine an item, etc.

Or you can ask any guest about anything...

Or any of the other player characters [I will answer for them...]

As soon as we verify that GoJays is willing to play as Alexa we'll have 3 players and then I'll begin answering the public questions and give you all a specific number of opportunities to ask private questions of the characters (via PM)

Bumped because I added bonus prizes! Anyone can guess, active player or not, but you only get 1 guess per question.

Sounds really interesting but I see it's most likely already filled. Maybe next time :)

Try your hand at the bonus questions! I know they're tough, but should only take a couple minutes and a single correct answer probably nets you a 9.99 GOG (especially because you would only be the 2nd guesser!)

If GoJays doesn't want to play Alexa, I'll make sure you're the first to know so you can take the spot. (Thinking he will but just in case.)