Morix: Web of Mistrust

Turnabout Abduction, Part 2

The walk to the trophy area was quiet. Much to my surprise, there weren't many people in the area at all, so that gave us the power to look over the space without any risks of being interrupted. I was glad to be in a silent space once again, and I let out a sigh of relief when I realized just how quiet our investigation was going to be. I knew that it would be far from eventful, but I couldn't have minded in the slightest, to be perfectly honest. 

As soon as we arrived, I was able to take in the victim in his full glory, and I already hated the scene of the crime. I looked down at the body and forced myself to not be sick. The victim was crumpled on the ground with a pool of blood around his head. It was upsetting and concerning to see, but I knew there wasn't anything I could do to change it. 

The body was surrounded by broken glass, and the trophy that had killed the victim was resting nearby. I could see something dark hidden among the glass as well, but most of it was masked by the victim's body. There was more blood around that space of the corpse, though I couldn't identify why in the world would be the case. 

The victim himself was wearing all dark clothing, and his hair was a deep brown color. It was strange to me that he was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants in a school, and I was sure that he couldn't have been a teacher. Such attire was far too casual for a teaching professional as far as I was concerned. Something about his whole appearance struck me as odd, though I couldn't even begin to say what was so strange. There was just this lingering sensation in the back of my mind that said there was something off about the whole situation. 

"The victim hasn't been moved since the body was discovered," Detective Hayes told us. "We suspect that he was killed instantly after he was hit by the trophy. This one in particular is the heaviest one in the collection, and it's placed on the top shelf most of the time. When the glass was shattered, the shelves all collapsed inwards as well, and that caused the trophy to fall down from its regular position. We aren't sure about it the culprit used the trophy to hit the victim from there or if the trophy simply caused the damage when it fell, but..."

"Regardless, there must have been somebody responsible for the crime," Victoria concluded. "Even if the trophy simply fell, somebody must have broken the glass. Something like that wouldn't just shatter out of nowhere. I can tell by how thick it is that the glass was incredibly strong, so it would have taken a very heavy object to come anywhere close to dealing this much damage."

Detective Hayes nodded his agreement. "If we aren't looking for the person who hit the victim with the trophy, we're looking for the one who found a way to shatter the glass. Either way, we need to figure out how the victim died," he told us. "We aren't sure about when the victim exactly died, but we suspect that it was likely at some point after the school day ended."

Lily placed one hand on her chin, a frown on her face. "I know the schedule of the school pretty well thanks to Yuri... Classes start close to seven in the morning, and they end at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Most extracurricular activities run for about forty-five minutes after the school day ends, and then the students are given the chance to go home," she declared. 

"Yuri was staying after school today, so she was busy in the period of time where the victim could have died," Victoria commented next. "Hm... I guess that it would only make sense if the victim was killed after the school day ended. There would have been too many people around at first, but if the victim died after everyone streamed out, then there wouldn't be the risk of accidentally being caught in the process."

"So we should be looking for someone who could have killed the victim between 1:30 and 2:15," I concluded. "Is there anything else that we should be aware of, Detective Hayes?"

"Up until the body's discovery, Mukuro was with Yuri, Anton, and James in the front office. James Devine was transferring to the school, and he was supposed to meet with administration today about moving into the building after being tutored on the set of his television show for a few years," Detective Hayes went on. "None of them heard the glass shattering from the nearby trophy case, so the victim must have died in the forty-five minute period of time that you mentioned a moment ago."