BRIAN DENNIS: WARM-UP

[Cavenglok]

Hello, Internet. Brian Dennis veterans, welcome back. Newcomers, nice to meet you. A long time ago, I hosted a mystery create-your-own-adventure type of thing called "Brian Dennis." It's back again, and just to see if it'll work out after all this time, I'm doing a warm-up. Here are the rules.

Every one of you are collectively a detective named Brian Dennis in fictional Climax City. You control him by giving me instructions, and I will tell you how your decisions impact the case. You can ask for autopsies, interrogations, whatnot. Your main goal is to quickly catch the criminal. You have an iPhone, a lie detector, a pistol, and his trademark taser. (Seriously, guys, please don't go overkill with the taser)

Please note that there may be violence. All events, locations and people are completely fictional.

11:06 PM, December 25th, 2012

Wellesley Manor

You walk into the rustic hallways of Wellesley Manor.

"Another murder, eh?" you say to Officer Harrison. He's been with you for most of your big cases.

"Yes, sir. Mr. John T. Wellesley. He's the man of the house. His wife saw him on the 2nd floor hallway, sword through his heart. No other bodily damage, so far as we can tell. But the curious thing is, there was a rusty old suit of armor kneeling by his side, holding the sword. The suit itself had no one inside, and there were no fingerprints, or any sign that someone had been inside it at all. It's as if the suit of armor killed Mr. Wellesley."

"Any sign it could have just been carried over?"

"Sure, it could have. But there's no way we can carry on from that, there is evidence inside."

"Suspects?"

"Here's the list, sir."

He hands you a list of names and descriptions. You smile and thank him.

I'll start you off with a few options. You may:

1) Interrogate the suspects.

2) Observe the scene of the crime.

3) Call for an autopsy.

4) Anything else you can think of.

SUSPECTS:

- Mary Wellesley, 65, Mr. Wellesley's wife. The two had an unhappy marriage, but they started great humanitarian programs together. First met Mr. Wellesley by being his secretary. Retired and was trying to convince Mr. Wellesley to retire as well.

- Arthur Green, 53, the butler. He was Mr. Wellesley's most trusted man in the mansion. He knew all of Mr. Wellesley's secrets, and devoted his life to serving him. He's been working for Mr. Wellesley for 14 years.

- Michael Kaufman, 72, owner of Kaufman and Co.. Successful lawyer that's been vying for the Wellesley mansion. He and Mr. Wellesley were friendly competitors until Mr. Wellesley sued Kaufman and Co., and they became vicious rivals.

- Rick Wayne, 28, CCN (Climax City News) reporter. Has been trying to get an interview in with Mr. Kaufman and Mr. Wellesley about the lawsuit. Mr. Wellesley lately told him that "his paparazzi network can go f*ck themselves." Mr. Wayne was almost fired because of this statement, unless he can get this interview.

Best of luck. Go!

Edited January 6, 2013 by Cavenglok

[flamebirde]

maybe we should examine the trophy room, where the suit of armor was (allegedly) supposed to be.

EDIT: spelling

Edited January 10, 2013 by flamebirde

[MissKitten]

@Cav What is the time of death, sorry?

@Aar *palm* I hadn't even thought about the psychological point of view, lol. It's great to have you on board.

@All Don't forget, we have a tazer.

[Morningstar]

What is the taser actually for?

[Cavenglok]

@Morningstar For MiKi to abuse the suspects. :/

INTERROGATION: MRS. WELLESLEY

YOU: Hello, Mrs. Wellesley. I'm sorry for all the trouble.

WELLESLEY: No, no, it's fine. I can't believe that he just... It's very hard.

YOU: I understand. I have a few questions for you. Do you mind plugging in this lie detector?

WELLESLEY: Of course.

You plug her in. For some reason, the lie detector is spazzing.

YOU: Do you have a heart condition or-?

WELLESLEY: Well, yes, I have a weak heart.

The lie detector won't work.

YOU: Very well. Did the suit of armor belong in the hallway?

WELLESLEY: No, it was in his trophy room. It was in the very back wall.

YOU: Was Mr. Rick Wayne in the guest list for the party?

WELLESLEY: Yes. My husband badgered me until I finally gave in. He wanted to "give the young man a chance," he said. (scoffs)

YOU: Was Mr. Kaufman on the list?

WELLESLEY: Why, of course! He's an old family friend.

YOU: Did you see either of them at the time of the murder?

WELLESLEY: Well, I was in the kitchen, so no.

YOU: Was there anyone else in the kitchen with you?

WELLESLEY: Mr. Green and the maids.

YOU: Is there anyone who would want Mr. Wellesley dead?

WELLESLEY: Well, sure! He was a very arrogant man. I know we musn't speak ill of the dead, but he made very many enemies in his life.

YOU: Was Mr. Wellesley superstitious?

WELLESLEY: (chuckles) No, but we always had this joke, Mr. Kaufman, my husband and I. When we were young, they were courting me. They would fight these fake duels between themselves, calling themselves the knights and me the princess. Mr. Wellesley always won. He always believed that someone was going to try to poison him. (clamps up) Oh, goodness. Maybe that's what killed him! Was he poisoned, Inspector?

YOU: I can assure you that poison was not the cause of death. Do you recognize this watch?

You hold out the watch in the Zip-loc.

WELLESLEY: Uh... yes. I believe it's Mr. Green's.

INTERROGATION: GREEN

YOU: Was Mr. Wellesley a superstitious man?

GREEN: I believe not. He was always very analytical. Not religious. Everything could be proven, he always said.

TRUTH.

AUTOPSY: WELLESLEY

The time of death was 10:00 PM.

OBSERVATION: THE TROPHY ROOM

You enter the trophy room. Ancient goblets line the top shelves, and the rest of the walls are covered in moose and reindeer heads. Raccoon skins are draped over chairs. He must've wiped out half of every local species in the Northeast. There's a brick and a small platform in the back. There is a small plaque hanging over where the head of the suit of armor would be. "Victory belongs to the most persevering. - Napoleon Bonaparte."

Would you like to observe anything else?

[phaze]

What is the taser actually for?

Could we tase Morningstar as a demonstration?

Discreetly of course we don't want to be accused of unethically torturing the unresponsive or invalidate intended lie detector results.

Edit: If the butler sees explain that this is what we do to those who we have failed the lie detector test and hopefully we will be more inclined to get the truth out of him.

Edit: Still need to know if the body has tan lines indicating that a watch was worn. Need to ask coroner maybe?

Edited January 10, 2013 by phaze

[phaze]

Make sure Mrs Green is in the room and then ask Mr Kaufman if he is having an affair with lie detector test. Whatever the result claim it failed as a consequence you are going to tase Mrs Green. Let us see if Mrs Kaufman is aware that she has a dicky ticker.

Edit: Make sure after this you confirm that it is Mrs Green that he is having an alleged affair with.

Edited January 10, 2013 by phaze

[Aaryan]

Make sure Mrs Green is in the room and then ask Mr Kaufman if he is having an affair with lie detector test. Whatever the result claim it failed as a consequence you are going to tase Mrs Green. Let us see if Mrs Kaufman is aware that she has a dicky ticker.

Edit: Make sure after this you confirm that it is Mrs Green that he is having an alleged affair with.

...what?

Anyway, there seems to be a promising lead in terms of the knights and the dueling.

Ask the wife if the armor had any sentimental significance. Maybe we should also formulate questions for the reporter.

[Cavenglok]

@phaze Uh... you mean Mr. Green, or Mrs. Wellesley. I'm gonna just put it out there that it is very unlikely that Mr. Green and Mr. Kaufman will ever have an affair.

[phaze]

Yeah sorry it is hard to keep up with the names, Still try it out with Mrs Green as it will still be interesting to know if Kaufman is aware about her dicky ticker.

Edit: Extra points for if you get Mrs Green to lie on the floor as if passed out after this little act and pretend to be performing CPR and then urgently call in Mr Green ask for an accurate watch.

Edited January 10, 2013 by phaze

[Cavenglok]

@phaze There is no Mrs. Green... Do you mean Mrs. Wellesley?

INTERROGATION: MRS. WELLESLEY

YOU: Did the armor have any sentimental significance to you or your husband?

WELLESLEY: My husband loved it. But he told me he had nightmares.

YOU: What sort of nightmares?

WELLESLEY: That sometimes, he dreamt that the knight came down to stab him through the heart. He used to complain night after night to me, and would order Mr. Green to bring him a scotch.

AUTOPSY: WELLESLEY

There is one light strip around his left wrist.

Edited January 10, 2013 by Cavenglok

[phaze]

Ah, Yes sorry Mrs Wellesley

[Thalia]

Some questions for Mrs. Wellesley:

Why did your husband sue Mr. Kaufman?

How long ago and has a decision been made about it yet?

[Cavenglok]

Ooooh. I thought you were telling me to actually tase Ms. Wellesley, which would be pretty much illegal. I'll set up that interrogation tomorrow, I promise.

INTERROGATION: MRS. WELLESLEY

YOU: Why did your husband sue Mr. Kaufman?

WELLESLEY: I'm not entirely sure. He told me himself that it wasn't really for anything Michael did. It was for the money. It could've been an Alpha dog thing, I don't know. I told him it was a bad idea, but he went through with it anyway.

YOU: How long ago was the lawsuit?

WELLESLEY: Oh, I don't know, 7 or 8 years?

YOU: Was a decision made?

WELLESLEY: I believe so. Yes, that's right, Kaufman lost.

[Aaryan]

Journalist...

Getting this straight:

COD: Stab Wound

Suspicious Circumstances: Suit of Armor, originally in trophy room. Broken glass.

Evidence: Watch, piece of hair

Suspects:

Wife, Mrs. Wellesley

Evidence against her: None

Motive: Personal reasons? Unhappy marriage.

Notes: She told us about the suit of armor

Rival, Michael Kaufman

Evidence: None

Motive: Lawsuit loss (provided by Mrs. Wellesley), personal reasons (Mrs. Wellesley)

Notes: Participated in "duels" with Wellesley.

Butler, Mr Green

Evidence: None (possible watch?)

Motive: Unknown

Notes: Claims he did not know about armor.

Journalist - No information

Edited January 11, 2013 by Aaryan

[Thalia]

How did Mr. Kaufman handle the lawsuit? You said he was an old family friend. Did his relationship with your husband change after the lawsuit?

Who knew about your husbands dreams (armor stabbing him in heart)? Did anyone else know about the fake duels you mentioned?

Questions about the trophy room. Sorry if you already answered some. Who has been in the trophy room/would have known about the armor? Is it locked?

[Yodell]

Did u (detective) at any point told Mrs Wellesley what was the time of the murder ?(Or .. the "time of the murder" in your interrogation is actually 10:00?) If not, how did she know ?

If you told her then she just gave Mr Green sort of an alibi .. We should corroborate this with the maids in the house. Ask the maids where they were at the time of death and who were they with .. Also ask Mr Green where was he at the time of death....

Attention!!: the time of death is not necessarily the time of the murder .... Someone could have staged an accident ..... and place the watch in there to frame Mr Green..

YOU: Did you see either of them at the time of the murder?

WELLESLEY: Well, I was in the kitchen, so no.

YOU: Was there anyone else in the kitchen with you?

WELLESLEY: Mr. Green and the maids.

[Morningstar]

What is the taser actually for?

Could we tase Morningstar as a demonstration?

Discreetly of course we don't want to be accused of unethically torturing the unresponsive or invalidate intended lie detector results.

Edit: If the butler sees explain that this is what we do to those who we have failed the lie detector test and hopefully we will be more inclined to get the truth out of him.

Edit: Still need to know if the body has tan lines indicating that a watch was worn. Need to ask coroner maybe?

[phaze]

How was the test done to establish time of death?

The reason I ask is that testing body heat could be fooled by placing the warm body in a hot bath, thus explaining the title of this little series.

[CaptainEd]

Handedness:

1) Mr. Green, when asked the time, looked at his watch, on his right wrist--generally the location for left-handers. He ALSO has a tan line on his left wrist! Does he usually wear two watches?

2) The suit of armor has stabbed Wellesley--with which hand?

I'd like to ask Mr. Green (while lie detector is operational)

* whether he wears two watches at once

* what he wears on his left wrist

I'd like to watch Mr. Green:

* to see if he seems left-handed

I'd like to remember the crime scene:

* to see which hand the suit of armor used to hold the sword that allegedly killed Wellesley

* to see which side of the body the suit of armor was kneeling at

* to see whether Wellesley was stabbed through the front or through the back (as he was found face-down, I'm assuming through the back, but I'd like a more official statement)

Edited January 15, 2013 by CaptainEd

[Cavenglok]

Sorry, guys... I was recently told that I have a lot of problems, and then my days became swallowed in really odd addictions and it was bad... I'm back, though!

INTERROGATION: WELLESLEY

YOU: How did Mr. Kaufman handle the lawsuit?

WELLESLEY: Well, it was settled that Michael would pay him a few thousand dollars. He's been bitter about seeing John ever since. I've kept in touch with him, though.

YOU: Did anyone else know about these dreams?

WELLESLEY: Uh.. yes. I believe Mr. Green knows about them as well.

YOU: Did anyone else know about the fake duels?

WELLESLEY: Well, I suppose our old friends still remember. It was a very public thing at the time.

YOU: Who else knew about the trophy room, or had entered it before?

WELLESLEY: Well, him, me and the butler. Mr. Green cleans it often. John never liked it, but I told Mr. Green to do it anyways. I don't want dust to pile up in there.

YOU: Is it locked?

WELLESLEY: Of course it is! John's most treasured room in the house, after all.

You find one of the maids, Sarah Hoover.

INTERROGATION: HOOVER

YOU: Where were you at 10:00 tonight?

HOOVER: Well, I was in the kitchen, preparing food for all of the guests. There was still a lot of chaos, plates were breaking, our wine was depleting...

TRUTH.

YOU: Where was Mrs. Wellesley?

HOOVER: Um.. I'm not quite sure. She never comes to the kitchen, though. She hates it here.

TRUTH.

INTERROGATION: GREEN

YOU: Do you ever wear two watches at once?

GREEN: No, that'd be silly! I used to own two watches, however. I lost my other one tonight. I'm just wearing this one for now.

TRUTH.

YOU: So what do you wear on your left wrist?

GREEN: (pause) Sorry?

LIE.

YOU: Your left wrist. You have a tan line there. What's that from?

GREEN: Oh, that's just from my other watch that I lost. It's more comfortable on the left wrist.

LIE.

While watching his hand motions, you have concluded that he is left-handed.

INVESTIGATION: SUIT OF ARMOR

You look carefully. You really can't tell which hand Wellesley was stabbed with. Perhaps the right hand, because there is less rust on it, but the left hand is on top of the right hand. (not sure if that makes sense. I will put up diagram if no one understands) The suit of armor is kneeling towards the body, directly staring at it, it seems. Wellesley was stabbed through the back.

@Aaryan Yes, confirmed. That is all true. I think.

@Yodell Yes, she knows what the time of death is.

@phaze Ooh, hadn't thought of that. I will definitely keep that in mind for later, though. But not relevant. I don't know... There were multiple tests and they all matched up?

Edited January 22, 2013 by Cavenglok

[Yodell]

First find another maid that was in the kitchen at 10 and ask her if she saw either mrs Wellesley or Mr Green in the kitchen at that time...

I want to ask Mr Green where was he at 10:00 and if he saw mrs Wellesley

[Cavenglok]

INTERROGATION: EMILY HOWARD

YOU: Did you see Mr. Green at 10:00 in the kitchen?

HOWARD: Yes.

LIE.

YOU: Did you see Mrs. Wellesley at 10:00 in the kitchen?

HOWARD: Uh... yeah. She was there.

LIE.

INTERROGATION: GREEN

YOU: Where were you 10:00 tonight?

GREEN: I was in the dining hall and kitchen, serving food.

TRUTH.

YOU: Was Mrs. Wellesley there?

GREEN: No, I believe she was not.

TRUTH.

Keep in mind that the lie detector is not perfect. It will display the "LIE" signal every time the subject is nervous. Think of reasons why the subject might be nervous, and then judge whether they are lying or not.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Cavenglok

[phaze]

Could you describe the room you are using to make your enquiry?

Who is in the room with you when you took the lie detector results?

Has the suit been dusted for prints?

[Aaryan]

Well, just in case anybody missed it, I think Green lied about not being in the trophy room. I'd rather not jump to conclusions on the lie detector of Howard, though.

Can someone explain the evidence of the watch? I haven't been paying attention to that part.

Let's consider the whereabouts.

Wellesley says she was in the kitchen, also claiming that Green was there.

Howard claims that both were there, but for some reason she's nervous.

Green says he was there, and Wellesley wasn't.

By this logic, it's unlikely that Wellesley and Green are allies. But it's possible that Wellesley was not where she said. We should ask some more, unrelated questions to the maid about Wellesley, Green, and that night to see if she is still nervous.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Aaryan

[phaze]

Can we go somewhere else and ask ask EMILY HOWARD about superstitions relating to the suit of armour?