Someone Shot the Sheriff in the San Sharbel Saloon!

[Vulpix]

The five of you enter enter a short corridor leading to a staircase that spirals into darkness. You descend single-file. No one speaks. All you can hear are the footsteps of five pairs of feet on the stone stairs. Until at last, Pardner reaches flat ground. He pauses, and Rocky accidentally stumbles into him. The only person who avoids this chain collision is Phantom Arm, who was lagging a few steps behind the rest. In the darkness, Pardner reaches out to feel for some kind of wall. He finds one. In fact, he's lucked out: he seems to have found a door. He traces his hand along the crease, searching blindly with his other hand for a knob. When he finds the brass knob, he twists it open.

The light is blinding. Kaerun lets out a little yelp. When your eyes adjust to the light, you see a dusty old town square. A tumbleweed blows across the street. Three horses are tied to a wooden railing outside what looks like a saloon. A tall man in a cowboy hat comes out through the double doors and puts his hand to his temples, shaking his head slowly.

"S'cuse me, mister," says Pardner, already sauntering towards him. "Where might we be?"

The man looks up, not startled. It's almost as if he were expecting your arrival.

"Why, you're in San Sharbel. Come take a look-see at what's happened. I reckon I could use your help." He turns and, without waiting, pushes open the saloon doors, disappearing once again inside.

Trigger is the first to follow, with the other four not far behind. When you enter the saloon, it takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the dim light. When they do, you're shocked by the sight: a man lies sprawled face-down on the wooden floor. Blood is pooled around him. You see his hat nearby, wet with a different fluid—scotch. Broken glass is also littering the floor. Four people are lined up in front of the bar. A beautiful young woman is crying into her palms. A small, portly man checks his watch. A gangly-looking fellow with a bandana covering the lower half of his face shifts from side to side. A man wearing a mask over his eyes smokes a cigarette and stares at the wall. And of course, the man who led you in here paces back and forth in front of the lineup.

Someone shot the sheriff. Someone in this very room. You get the feeling you won't be leaving until you find out exactly what went down here. Pardner and Trigger feel something in their pockets—a blank notebook to record their findings and answers. Some of it is already filled in…

---

Questions

- Who shot the sheriff?

- What was the killer(s) motive?

- What happened to the sheriff's son?

- What is each person's drink of choice?

Locations

The following locations are around the scene of the crime, and may be visited. They may contain information relevant to the case.

- The Saloon (Front & Back)

- The Bank

- The Town Square

- The Jail

- The Sheriff's Office

RULES

You may freely investigate and ask questions until the time expires.
Each group will submit ONE answer: That is, Kaerun, Pardner, and Phantom Arm will submit one, and Trigger and Rocky will submit another. Failure to submit an answer will be treated as an automatic failure.

Your response will be graded in relation to total understanding of the case. If your response is below a certain threshold, you will lose two points.
If your response meets or exceeds the threshold, no point change will occur.
If your response satisfies all requirements, or in other words gets a 100% grade, you will be rewarded one additional point.

Evidence will be delivered via the coloured truth system. Red truths are objective facts about the case. Blue truths are more so speculations based on available evidence, and may not always be entirely correct.

[Nekomaru]

"... a murder? what happened to seeing a diorama..."


"I knew we couldn't trust those... things. I suppose the only thing to do is to solve this."

[Nekomaru]

The crying woman is a concern for sure, but I should probably begin with someone more stable.
I approach the man wearing a watch.

"Excuse me, sir, would you mind telling us what happened here?"

[Ktoasty]

"So this is the diorama them critters were talkin' 'bout. I've seen my fair share of murder in the wild west, but I didn't expect to be returning to my roots so soon... I'm finding this no-good criminal and makin' them face the consequences of their actions."

"Trio, we've got some work to do. A fine idea questioning the witnesses, Kaerun. I'll leave that to you while I check our dearly departed sheriff. Giving the body a good rundown is a necessity, so I'll volunteer."

"Phantom Arm, can ya search this room we're in? This cowskin notebook I have needs us to find the culprit and motive, so we'll need plenty of evidence."

Pardner tips his hat to the Green Duo.

"Trigger, Rocky. Our posses are submitted separate notebooks, but I hope we can still partner up for this monumental mission. It'd be mighty fine if we could cover this whole Saloon seeing as its the scene of the crime, including them horses up front, and the backside too. I wouldn't want Kaerun here to be overloaded with all the interrogations either."

"Could y'all lend us a cowboy hand?"

He untips his hat and moves onto his previously stated prerogative, the victim. Pardner checks the dead sheriff for the killing wound and any other injuries. He flips over the body to check the frontside, face, hands, hat, belongings, and anything else The Narrator deems important.

[Vulpix]

Nov 19, 2023 0:01:00 GMT -6 Nekomaru said:

The crying woman is a concern for sure, but I should probably begin with someone more stable.
I approach the man wearing a watch.

"Excuse me, sir, would you mind telling us what happened here?"

The man wearing a watch glances uncertainly at the man pacing back and forth, who nods his permission to speak.

"My name is Bartholomew Birch," says the man with the watch. "I'm the town banker."

He looks a good fit for this position: he's short, stout, and bespectacled. His brown hair is parted in the middle, and his moustache is neat and trim. He wears a gray sportcoat and bowtie.

"I know very little about what happened here, as I was in my office at the time it happened. I heard the single gunshot, that's all. I don't even know why I'm here!"

"You know full well why you're here," snaps the pacing man. "The sheriff has long suspected you of embezzling town funds. His investigation was started to get somewhere, so you shut him up before he could reveal the truth."

"I did no such thing!"

---

Nov 19, 2023 0:57:20 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

"So this is the diorama them critters were talkin' 'bout. I've seen my fair share of murder in the wild west, but I didn't expect to be returning to my roots so soon... I'm finding this no-good criminal and makin' them face the consequences of their actions."

"Trio, we've got some work to do. A fine idea questioning the witnesses, Kaerun. I'll leave that to you while I check our dearly departed sheriff. Giving the body a good rundown is a necessity, so I'll volunteer."

"Phantom Arm, can ya search this room we're in? This cowskin notebook I have needs us to find the culprit and motive, so we'll need plenty of evidence."

Pardner tips his hat to the Green Duo.

"Trigger, Rocky. Our posses are submitted separate notebooks, but I hope we can still partner up for this monumental mission. It'd be mighty fine if we could cover this whole Saloon seeing as its the scene of the crime, including them horses up front, and the backside too. I wouldn't want Kaerun here to be overloaded with all the interrogations either."

"Could y'all lend us a cowboy hand?"

"Sure thing. I'll check out the horses."

Rocky leaves the saloon to investigate the three horses outside. They're all tied with ropes to the wooden railing. There's a bay mare, a black stallion, and a pinto gelding. The black stallion is equipped with a saddle and a pair of saddlebags. Rocky searches inside...

Phantom Arm nods and begins searching the room. The front room of the saloon has rustic wooden floorboards, many of which are now soaked in blood. There are four round tables with four wooden chairs each. On the walls are some old paintings and decorations. There's a curio cabinet with fascinating knick-knacks. A cow skull is mounted on the wall across from it. A piano that's barely in tune is underneath that. Across from the entrance to the saloon is the bar. Six stools are lined up in front of it. Behind it are shelves of liquor with varying degrees of fullness. There are also rows of glasses behind the bar. There is one empty spot where a glass previously was... it now seems evident that it now rests in pieces on the saloon's floor. Beside the bar is a door leading into another room.

Pardner takes a closer look at the sheriff's body. His only visible injury is the round bullet hole in his chest, just beneath his six-pointed badge. There is no exit wound, so it seems safe to say that he was shot from the front. His eyes are open and staring blankly straight ahead. His moustache is still slightly wet. In his pocket, Parnder finds a wallet. He opens it. Inside are a few dollar bills, as well as a photograph of three smiling people: a man, a woman, and a young boy. All three faces seem oddly familiar to Pardner as he stares at them.

[Ktoasty]

Pardner checks the sheriff’s mustache to see if it’s rife with scotch. Then he compares the photograph to the 5 other western folks in the room. And then he checks what direction the sheriff had fallen for a potential line of sight for the gunshot wound.

[Vulpix]

Nov 19, 2023 20:55:19 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

Pardner checks the sheriff’s mustache to see if it’s rife with scotch. Then he compares the photograph to the 5 other western folks in the room. And then he checks what direction the sheriff had fallen for a potential line of sight for the gunshot wound.

Pardner gives the sheriff's 'stache a sniff. Yep, that's scotch alright.

He takes the photograph fully out of its protective sleeve and holds it against the lineup. Doesn't look like any of them. The man does appear to be the sheriff, though.

Pardner stands up and dusts off his knees. He tries to get a feel for line of sight, but that's a bit tricky to do with no exit wound. Given the way that the sheriff fell forward and was shot from the front, you can surmise that the sheriff was facing the entrance of the saloon when he was shot.

[Nekomaru]

Nov 19, 2023 20:36:54 GMT -6 Vulpix said:

"[...]so you shut him up before he could reveal the truth."

"That's a serious accusation, sir. Did you see him do such a thing? And by the way, I don't believe I caught your name."

[Ktoasty]

Pardner moves on from investigating the sheriff. Kaerun is deep in interrogation, so he instead finds Phantom Arm to talk to.

"That's some sharp shootin' on the investigation range, Phantom Arm. I'd say you've got the makings for a fine detective. That chat Kaerun had with the Banker caught my eye, so I'm taking a look at the Bank. While I'm off, could you check out the back of this Saloon?"

He gives a wave and exits the Saloon. On the outskirts, he spots Rocky.

"Howdy, Rocky. I'm heading off to check the Bank here. Reckon ya wanna ride along and take on the Town Square? And, what have ya on that there Black Stallion?"

Following their chat, Pardner heads west, or whichever direction the Bank is in, to give it a thorough search.

[Vulpix]

Nov 19, 2023 22:02:10 GMT -6 Nekomaru said:

Nov 19, 2023 20:36:54 GMT -6 Vulpix said:

"[...]so you shut him up before he could reveal the truth."

"That's a serious accusation, sir. Did you see him do such a thing? And by the way, I don't believe I caught your name."

"I confess I did not see him shoot the sheriff. I was off chasing this varmint." He nods at the shifty-looking fellow with the bandana. "I am this town's deputy," he says, pointing to the badge on his chest. "Dale Delaney, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss." He extends his hand for a shake.

---

Nov 19, 2023 23:07:18 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

Pardner moves on from investigating the sheriff. Kaerun is deep in interrogation, so he instead finds Phantom Arm to talk to.

"That's some sharp shootin' on the investigation range, Phantom Arm. I'd say you've got the makings for a fine detective. That chat Kaerun had with the Banker caught my eye, so I'm taking a look at the Bank. While I'm off, could you check out the back of this Saloon?"

He gives a wave and exits the Saloon. On the outskirts, he spots Rocky.

"Howdy, Rocky. I'm heading off to check the Bank here. Reckon ya wanna ride along and take on the Town Square? And, what have ya on that there Black Stallion?"

Following their chat, Pardner heads west, or whichever direction the Bank is in, to give it a thorough search.

Phantom Arm gives a curt nod in reply and slips through the door to the back room of the saloon. He finds an old-fashioned kitchen. Pots and pans dangle from the ceiling. Some dishes are in the sink, although the sink is empty of water. He finds a peculiar note fastened to the back of the door to the saloon front.

"Well, all these horses have saddles and regular riding tack, but only the pinto and the black horse have saddlebags. The pinto's saddlebags have a gun, a pair of handcuffs, and a key, as well as a flask of liquor. The black stallion's saddlebags are a bit more interesting."

Rocky shows Pardner a silver locket. Inside is a photograph. The photo depicts a young boy—different from the one Pardner had seen before—with a man's hand on his shoulder. Both of them are smiling. A few other men are in the background, one of which has eyes which look strikingly similar to one of the men in the saloon.

"There's also a flask of liquor and a gun, but no handcuffs or anything. There's a sarape rolled up in here, too."

"I'll check out the town square for ya and tell you what I find."

---

Pardner proceeds onward to the bank, which is easy to recognize by the sign over its entrance.

Inside, it basically looks like this:

Except with no man currently at the till (he's busy in the saloon right now).

The safety deposit boxes are all locked. Upon examination of the cashier's workspace, you find some papers. They say that the total amount in the bank's safe should be 1000$ dollars, and the code to the safe is 146. In one of the desk drawers, you find a fancy gold pocketwatch. There is shredded paper in the wastebasket. The safe has a large dial which you turn to input the code. Inside, you find stacks of bills. There are 32 single dollar bills. There are twice as many two dollar bills as there are single dollar bills. The number of five dollar bills is equal to the amount of money you have counted so far minus 70. The monetary value of the ten dollar bills is the same as the monetary value of singles and two dollar bills. The number of twenty dollar bills you find is half of the square root of the number of two dollar bills. There is only one fifty dollar bill, and nothing greater.

[Ktoasty]

"Consarnit, mathematics always find me one way or another!"

Pardner takes out a blank sheet of notebook paper and comes up with monetary value.

$1 * 32 = $32
$2 * (2 * 32 single bills) = $128
$5 * (160 total so far - 70) = $450
$10 = $160
$20 * (8 / 2) = $80
$50 * 1 = $50

32+128+450+160+80+50 = $900

"So someone's taken a $100 bill, or somethin' akin to it, from this vault."

Pardner examines the pocketwatch to see if it has any fancy writing or compartments, then he tries to piece together the shredded paper.

[Vaellin the Bard]

Nov 19, 2023 0:57:20 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

"Trigger, Rocky. Our posses are submitted separate notebooks, but I hope we can still partner up for this monumental mission. It'd be mighty fine if we could cover this whole Saloon seeing as its the scene of the crime, including them horses up front, and the backside too. I wouldn't want Kaerun here to be overloaded with all the interrogations either."

"Could y'all lend us a cowboy hand?"

"Of course! I'll go check out the Jail! I've always wondered what it's like to be arrested!" Trigger darts off, but not without patting the horses on her way out, to head to the jail.

[Vulpix]

Nov 20, 2023 10:18:41 GMT -6 Ktoasty said:

"Consarnit, mathematics always find me one way or another!"

Pardner takes out a blank sheet of notebook paper and comes up with monetary value.

$1 * 32 = $32
$2 * (2 * 32 single bills) = $128
$5 * (160 total so far - 70) = $450
$10 = $160
$20 * (8 / 2) = $80
$50 * 1 = $50

32+128+450+160+80+50 = $900

"So someone's taken a $100 bill, or somethin' akin to it, from this vault."

Pardner examines the pocketwatch to see if it has any fancy writing or compartments, then he tries to piece together the shredded paper.

The pocketwatch has no fancy writing nor compartments. It does have an intricate engraved design, but it appears to be just decoration and nothing particularly important. You attempt to piece together the shredded paper. When assembled, it appears to be a pocketwatch receipt for 100$.

---

Nov 20, 2023 10:26:57 GMT -6 Vaellin the Bard said:

"Of course! I'll go check out the Jail! I've always wondered what it's like to be arrested!" Trigger darts off, but not without patting the horses on her way out, to head to the jail.

You give the horses a pat and go to the jail, passing Rocky on the way as he meanders around the town square. The jail actually appears to have two locations: the jail itself, as well as the adjoining sheriff's office. You investigate primarily the jail. Being only a small town jail, it contains only three cells. The layout looks not unlike this:

All three of them have barred windows and barred doors. Each cell contains a single Murphy bed, and two of them are folded up against the wall. The third is still down, and looks as though it is used frequently. Each cell contains a bucket for human waste, and while all three are currently empty, the third smells like it has been used most recently. None of the cells are currently locked.

[Vaellin the Bard]

Nov 20, 2023 11:24:52 GMT -6 Vulpix said:

You give the horses a pat and go to the jail, passing Rocky on the way as he meanders around the town square. The jail actually appears to have two locations: the jail itself, as well as the adjoining sheriff's office. You investigate primarily the jail. Being only a small town jail, it contains only three cells. The layout looks not unlike this:

All three of them have barred windows and barred doors. Each cell contains a single Murphy bed, and two of them are folded up against the wall. The third is still down, and looks as though it is used frequently. Each cell contains a bucket for human waste, and while all three are currently empty, the third smells like it has been used most recently. None of the cells are currently locked.

Trigger is going to attempt to enter one of the cells (not the third), shut the door and pretend to be locked up for a second.

She is then going to investigate the beds in both the first and second to see if there's anything about them that differs from the one that's already down. She'll also check for lumps or any indication something is hidden in them.

Then she will head to the third cell and investigate the bed in a similar manner.

"I wonder if the documentation of who was locked up is in the Sheriff's Office," Trigger mumbles to herself as she pretends to be a prisoner in a cell.

[Ktoasty]

Pardner settles his investigation of the Bank by taking the key from the pinto's bag and testing it on the safes.

Then he makes his way to the Town Square to chat with Rocky.

"Seems there was a trade done in the Bank earlier for a hefty sum. How goes the clue wranglin' on your end?"