The lone resident, the solitary watcher, that shifter sifter of truth, had left his post. Temporarily. Taken up a winter residence. In a cocoon of blankets in the corner. A good working environment was...you see, vigilance wasnât the only...and...thereâs advantages to...
âWhatâs the use?â Summer groused into his steaming, fifth cup of coffee. âNobody can hear me. Winterâs coming on fast. Iâm not made of love. And I wonât get any more hanging around here. Itâs unfair. You canât expect gold from straw. Krrkkk, straw would be an improvement. A case without evidence? No better than a gut feeling. Itâs a waste of my time. Itâs a waste of my energy. And nobody cares.â
The feedâd been quiet. Bursts of activity here and there, but quieter than before. Even sharing their findings, the guests knew. In a day - maybe less - theyâd come together for a decision. Maybe their last. Find the killer, or be trapped forever. He wondered, would there be a feed tomorrow? Swirling shadows, where once heâd seen a manor and a few frightened ponies?
Or would they leave nothing behind?
âFine.â Summer stood on shivering legs and trudged to his chair, blankets wrapped tight around him. âBut donât expect miracles.â
(Investigatorâs Note: âIf you want to spare both of us the trouble: This wasnât an exorcism or a charm spell. The house itself killed the Host. The book somehow broke the deal between the Host and the entity in this place. Though I donât have any hard evidence, based on what suspects have said in the investigation, their character, and their relationships, I suspect Hex.)
âFirst; howâd the Host die? You donât have a cause of death, you donât have a case. What do we have? No signs of external injury, traces of magic on the body. And contrary to popular belief,â he scowled into his mug. âNo, it wasnât an exorcism, and no, it wasnât a charm spell. Rules are clear; guests can only use telekinesis, teleportation, and charms. Magical exorcisms not allowed.â
Could you exorcise the cold? Is that a spell that exists? Worth looking into later.
âAs for the charm, we know what a charm looks like. We know what all types of magic look like, and this? This isnât any magic a guest can use. But itâs magic weâve seen before and Iâm too tired to set this up properly itâs the house. Itâs the houseâs magic. The same shadows that execute the convicted are on the Hostâs body, coming from that mark. Same mark thatâs on the book. So no, itâs not an exorcism book. What is it?â
Summer threw his hooves up.
âDonât ask me, I donât have it in front of me. Best guess? Whateverâs in that book violates the deal between the Host and this place. A guest reads it in front of the Host, the house renders the deal null and void, the house renders the Host null and void. Which is why nobodyâs seen the Hostâs ghost floating around the place.â
âThatâs how the victim died. But somebody had to set it all off. Who had the opportunity?â He spent a few moments searching for his props. He realized that fetching his props would probably require leaving his nest of blankets. He decided to forgo the props. âI can tell you one thing; the killer has a terrible alibi. Easy math. The murderer has to be one of the guests. All the guests have terrible alibis. Therefore, the murderer has a terrible alibi.â
â...seriously, what are they teaching you all in schools nowadays?â He sighed deeply. âEvery single one of them had a window of time where you were unaccompanied and/or unaccounted for. And with a body thatâs been âdeadâ for some time, you need an airtight cover story that lasts at least several hours! At least!â
âOh, and the best part? The best part?â He slammed his mug down on the table. âEverybody has a motive. The Host trapped them all here and had a hand in the death of their friends, what do you expect? That theyâd want him over for tea?!â
Summer glared daggers into the feed, panting for breath. Well. If they couldnât hear him over there, maybe somebody wouldâve heard all that shouting. He lifted his mug to his lips. Paused. Upturned it. Gave it a shake.Â
Bone dry.
âAnd thatâs that.â He slumped back in his chair. âThereâs really not much hard evidence to go off of. Weâve got a mess of personal histories, shaky alibis, and motives under every rock. I canât point to a single thing that could cleanly wrap up this case. Not enough to stake lives on.â
âButâŚâ
He gave a wan smile.Â
â...I have some suspicions.â
And found a little strength in his spine.
âItâs most likely the book was found in the Library. Only Hex and Summer frequented the Library. If it was found there, it was one of them. If it was used, it was one of them, or a trusted friend. Of the remaining guests, Hex was good friends with Peach, and Summer was close to Angel. Reese and Ariace are the odd men out, socially. We can discount them.â
âThat leaves us with Hex, Summer, Peach, or Angel.â In a warmer climate, heâd have stopped and triple-checked his guesses. In this cold, he couldnât afford to. He paused, all the same. â...of the four of them, I think Hex is the most likely suspect.â
âMy strongest reason is the investigation itself. Hex was quick to call the magic a charm spell, when it was anything but. He claimed the book allowed anyone to cast said charm, which kept the suspect list broad. He was quick to push the magical exorcism theory, when magical exorcisms were impossible. None of these look innocent to me.â
âThereâs a number of weaker threads that support the theory. The position of the body suggests the Host fell over dead from a standing position. No struggle. The position of the book has the reader - our killer - across the table from him. It suggests the Host was speaking with his killer when the moment came. Hex has the spite for that.â
âHex is also careful and methodical. He wouldnât have killed anyone without an alibi to cover himself, and he wouldnât have left more evidence than necessary. Peach wouldâve been willing to vouch for his friend if it meant getting a wish for the dead. By the time Angel arrived in the ballroom, the deed wouldâve already been done. The lack of evidence, again, fits his style.â
âThatâs Hex. And the others?â Summer suppressed a shiver. Just a little longer. Just a little longer. âPeach, I donât think heâs physically or emotionally up to this. Corroborating an alibi is about the most he could do. Summer discovered the body, but she discovered it as part of her routine. From past cases, we know she visits the library in the evenings for fresh books. And if she could set up such a clue-less case, whyâd she forget to give herself a good alibi? And if Summerâs not involved, Angelâs not involved.â
âSo...thatâs it. Process of elimination, a slightly fishy investigation, and a gut read on a ponyâs character. Thatâs all Iâve got.â He half rose, half fell out of his chair. Shook himself awake. Stiffly nodded. âItâs up to you now. Best of luck.â Slowly, painfully, one frozen leg after the other, he made for the door.
And stopped.
âIf I was feeling boldâŚâ He continued, face to the cold dark. âIâd say that the killer made a deal for the book. Everybodyâs talking, so there werenât any deals struck for lethal items. Books arenât designed to kill, counts as non-lethal item, killerâs still able to talk. Itâd explain why thereâs no telekinesis on the book; the Host canât use any magic with that broken horn. Itâd explain how a guest stumbled on such a dangerous tome; if the Host brought the book from elsewhere, the killer couldâve arranged the shelves to appear as though theyâd found it in Library. Itâd explain the scene as we found it. The Host collected the book, stood calmly across the table from their killer, passed it over where they could read it, then fell over dead. Whatâs left unanswered in the crime scene, the theory explains it. Rather neatly."
"...Iâm not feeling bold nor my hooves, so I wonât say it. But if I did? Then Iâd also say thereâs few suspects whoâve displayed that level of forethought and cunning. And the spite necessary to make someone fetch their own noose."
