Bi Barrister

Okay then. So I don't have a suspect yet but here's how it happened. The murderer shot Cassandra but it wasn't in some back storeroom. It was somewhere much more inconvenient. Like maybe a bathroom or something. Anyway the point is that they couldn't just drag the body through a public location. They needed something to hide it in. And that's where the dumpster comes in.

The murderer wheeled the dumpster off to the murder location, and there they slipped Cassandra's body inside, and then casually wheeled it back out to the alleyway. Only they didn't realize that they'd taken the dumpster during its collection period and consequently the good sanitation workers of the city had been unable to empty it.

"...Sorry, let me b-back up just a second, eheheh. The, uh, smell of the dumpster is making it hard to think."

The bailiff thoughtfully closes the lid on the dumpster.

"Let me start with that. The only plausible reason the dumpster would be full at the time the body was placed in it was if it hadn't been at its designated dumping spot at 4:30 at all. If it was, it would undoubtedly have been collected. So, why would someone have moved it?"



"I think the reason's pretty simple: to transport the body. The culprit needed to move Cassandra to the alleyway next to the bakery for whatever reason without being suspected, so they chose the unassuming cover of a dumpster. But if Hatchett killed her in the bakery, he'd have no need to move anything at all!"

There are significant murmurs among the gallery at your explanation. In traditional legal analysis, and as LAW SCHOOL taught you, GALLERY VOLUME is a good quantitative factor with which to rate the persuasiveness of an argument. These hushed conversations give a real jump to your confidence!



"...Very well. Now, Ms. Injunction, about that time of death you were about to crucify? How do you explain that?"

I propose that the body was kept cool in order to specifically make it appear as if the time of death was at a time Mr. Hatchett was present, in an effort to frame my client.

Mimicking yourself from only moments prior, you slam your desk.

"Right! So, the thing about human bodies, like meat, is that they can be preserved with cooling! It's a basic fact of pathology that lowering the temperature of a body beyond what the coroner expects can "push" the time of death forward. In fact, I had a look at a copy of the report this morning..."

Show them the updated autopsy report.

"Maybe the detective here was too sure of himself to go back and make sure his understanding of the case was totally up to date, because as it turns out, that autopsy is outdated."

"WATCH IT, PUNK!!!" Shade's threat alongside his cigar flies out of his mouth. He procures and lights a new one.

You present the UPDATED AUTOPSY REPORT to the court. It reads that traces of frozen blood were found on her skin, suggesting a true time of death before 4:00. You fail to declare that you obtained this report by sneaking into deRecolte's office and looking at her desk. You're not sure if she knows.

"..." deRecolte's stance changes imperceptibly. Oh god, she knows.



"Uh. So. That is. ...The body was definitely frozen after death. And then, it must've been wheeled in from elsewhere. My client couldn't have done either of these!"



Oh god, oh fuck, oh no



"It's a nice story. Perhaps it's even true. But at the center of it all, its protagonist... is still Barry Hatchett."

deRecolte presents the layout of the bakery to the court. The BAKERY FLOORPLANS are added to the MANIFEST OF JUSTICE.

"The accused's bakery also happens to possess a freezer. One that would serve as nicely to freeze bodies as it does leavening products. Hatchett killed Rolle earlier in the day, before 4:00, and hid her corpse in the dumpster, which he then rolled into the freezer through the front doors. Then, several hours later, he put the dumpster where it is now. No impossibilities are present, Ms. Injunction."

"I coulda figured all that out!! I'm the detective here!" Detective Shade is ignored.

Before 4:00? You light up, feeling into your MANIFEST OF JUSTICE.

It was a small mistake but it proves that it couldn't have been Barry as Barry's alibi for 4:30 is airtight.

"Are you sure of that? If he had access to the bakery, he'd have access to the freezer... Have you heard of Gluten University, deRecolte?"

The Judge speaks up. Apparently, his son went there! He regales the court of a fun and interesting story of a run-in his son had with an eccentric and slightly mean fraternity, and everyone has a laugh.

"Hackett is a regular guest speaker there. The past week, due to security concerns, they've resorted to surveying and record all entrances and exits. My client..." You point to the UNIVERSITY VISITOR RECORDS, " was clearly recorded on the day of the incident entering at noon and leaving at 4:15."

Your arm surges with energy, and the prosecutor is its lightning rod.



"Barry Hackett had no opportunity to kill Cassandra Rolle!

The gallery is conversing at high magnitudes!! You're on fire!!



Except.... deRecolte is still smiling.

"Ms. Injunction, have you seen... the right side of the dumpster?"

"The right?"

"The right?"

"The right?" (That's the judge speaking, by the way. It hadn't come up until now.)

Oh no. You had nearly forgotten that you were able to THREE-DIMENSIONALLY ROTATE EVIDENCE. This is a relatively new LEGAL TECHNOLOGY, and as such, was not highly emphasized in your tutelage.

The bailiff turns the dumpster 180 degrees.



"GU! That doesn't stand for-!"

"Indeed. This dumpster belongs to Gluten University."

The gallery is at a shout!! It's bedlam in the court!! And you didn't cause it!!!

The judge calls the court into order.

"I didn't think we needed to reach this point, but there's a witness I may call if we need further elaboration on the significance of this detail."

A short recess is held. You have a little drink and play a VAGUELY INTERESTING PHONE GAME. Then you return to the courtroom, where someone new awaits you on the stand.



deRecolte asks the witness for her name and occupation.

"According to all official record, I would say my name is Anna Telope. But if you asked me, I would... also say Anna Telope. I attend Gluten University. Majoring in Theoretical Yeast Sciences, or, as it is popularly known, Theast."

"Anna, I believe you saw Hackett this 14th. Would you tell us all you can recall about that?"

"Human memory is flawed... but I can give it an attempt."

"I met with Mr. Hatchett in the Theoretical Yeast Sciences common room. We finished at about 2:50.

"He was holding securely and safely to a small nylon bag, claiming he was watching over a student's lost wallet.

"That is to say, more precisesly... the wallet of an acquaintance of mine, Boston Higgs.

"After that, he claimed he was going to deliver it to him and left quickly. But he was going in the opposite direction of the dormitories.

"Wanting to correct Hatchett, I followed. But then he turned a corner ahead of me, and a gunshot rang out.

"I ran around the corner into the plaza, past a dumpster. He was absent. I must've continued my investigation for 10 minutes.

"When I double backed, however, the dumpster was gone. The bag, discarded, in its place.

"I then arrived 5 minutes early for 10th century Flatbread Dynamics."

This new testimony doesn't put your client in the best of lights. At least she doesn't claim to have seen the murder itself; now THAT would be bad! But still, you're gonna have to work your way out of a quagmire here.

UNVEILED EVIDENCE from the MANIFEST OF JUSTICE (new!):

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Spoiler
BARRISTER'S BADGE: Without this, no one would know you are in the courthouse right now.
CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPH: A photograph of the crime scene.

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DUMPSTER: The box of trash that the body was found in.

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UPDATED AUTOPSY'S REPORT: You never actually had the original, so it's especially good you stole this.

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Subject: Cassandra Rolle
Time of Death: 1:00-4:00 PM
Cause of Death: Bullets
Wounds: Shot four times in torso, and once in leg. Leg wound likely preceded torso wounds. Fired from a significant distance (>10 meters)
Notes: Previously recorded time of death was 5:00; frozen blood indicates body was preserved post-mortem. Missing two fingers on left hand for over a year. Apparent bronchitis. Slightly near-sighted (20-50).

BAKERY FLOORPLANS: This is where you can walk in the bakery.

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UNIVERSITY VISITOR RECORDS: Boy, this is a really long document. But rest assured, Hatchett entered at 12:00 and exited at 4:15.