Part 16: A Murder Staged - Part 4

No, that's probably one of the "fantastic perks" to being Strappings' PA.





Do you really think he did it?

Without a shadow of a doubt.

We still have a number of riddles to solve, but he's a very intelligent adversary.

Oh, aye? He doesn't seem that sharp to me.

He very carefully and deliberately diverts the conversation away from the most crucial point.

The most crucial point? What's that then?




Are you saying that Blaise weren't shot when it all went dark?

Do you recall where we concluded the shot was fired from?

Aye, from where Strapping had been standing on stage, weren't it?

Yes, and to hit Blaise from that distance with a single shot in the dark would be impossible.

But we know that's where she were done in from, don't we? So...

We do. There's no disputing where the shot was fired from.

But when the shot was fired – that's a detail about which we still have some room for manoeuvre.

What do you mean, when it were fired?

I mean, if only it hadn't been pitch black, Blaise would have been an easy shot from that location.

Do you see? So now, when you do think the shot was fired that killed Blaise?





By 'eck Prof! Not during the performance?

Exactly.

We know where the shooter was standing, and we know there was the noise of a gunshot.

When you consider those two facts together, there's only one logical conclusion.



Correct.

Unbelievable...

We can almost be certain that's the truth of the matter, but it's just a theory at this stage.

We need to find some evidence that Blaise was actually shot while the performance was underway.

I hear you, Prof! I'm on it!






I found a remote control, Prof!

Ah, that must have been used to detonate the squib and burst Blaise's bladder of fake blood.

Blaise would've been the one to push the button, wouldn't she?

So how come it were chucked away here in the bin?

Yes, what does that tell us, do you think, Lucy?





If the remote's here in the bin, then chances are Blaise never pushed the button at all.

There you have it.

Despite failing to trigger the squib, blood poured from Blaise's wound during the performance.

Because she were actually shot with a real gun!

And we have the entire audience as witnesses.

That's hard evidence then, isn't it, Prof?

Yes. Well done.

Hee hee hee.

Let's hand the remote over to forensics and have them confirm the button was never pressed.

I'll go and ask them right this minute.

Lucy leaves and then returns.

I've been and asked them.



That, Lucy, is the biggest mystery of this case. If his aim had been even slightly off, he'd have given himself away in an instant.

Hmm, it's hard to see what was driving him, I must say.

Well, there's no point worrying about what we don't yet know.

Let's continue our investigation based on what we do know.

Blaise was shot with a real gun in the final scene of the performance.

Now we've established that, the events that followed in the darkness start to fall into place.

Oh aye, there's plenty of questions need answering now.

Firstly, Blaise's scream. And secondly, the gunshot that ran out through the darkness.

Let's get to the bottom of those two curiosities.




Shot in the dark.

Let's get this straight. If Blaise were killed during the performance...what were the shot that everyone heard when the lights went out?

My guess is that it was fired by Strapping as part of the whole deception.

There's sure to be evidence on the scene somewhere that proves he fired a second shot.

I'd best get looking then!




This is what he used! Strapping must've have used this replica gun, no? I bet that's it.

Let's see. The prop gun was found behind the set.

He would have had to work his way round to knock Clegg from here then, if you're right.

Is there any evidence you can find that would support that idea, Lucy?



These oil stains are a bit telling, aren't they?

Ah, yes. That must be from the oil used to lubricate the replica gun.

He must've have been running his hand along the back of the set here to feel his way int' dark!

Without a doubt.

That's how Strapping worked his way over to where Clegg was.

He groped around in the dark until he located him, then hit him and knocked him out.

Nasty stuff.

This shows us the person who had the replica gun passed this way. In other words, it's proof that Strapping crossed behind the back of the stage in the dark.

We're getting closer, Prof!



Scream in the dark.

So if Blaise were dead as a doornail already before it went dark, she'd have had a hard time screaming, eh?

The most obvious explanation is that it was someone else who screamed.

So, Lucy, who do you think actually let out the scream in the darkness?





Well, if it weren't Blaise who screamed, the only other possibility is that Knox lass.

Quite. Neither Strapping nor Clegg could have convincingly imitated a woman's scream.

But that's not quite the whole story.

We already have evidence to suggest that Strapping told Knox to scream.

We do?

Yes. It's all there in the suspect statements.

Which statement tells us when Strapping most probably told Knox to scream?




Eh-up! 'Mr Strapping bumped into Destiny.' That sounds dead fishy, that does.

Agreed.

Knocking her over would have given him ample time to tell her what he wanted her to do.

What, so Knox was an accomplice, then?

Not exactly.

If she were really his accomplice, they would have plotted the whole thing together from the start.

If Alfendi's theory is correct, Knox lied in her witness statement, and since Strapping told her to scream, it raises the question if Knox knows that Strapping did it.

Aye, why didn't they? That's a bit odd isn't it?

It seems there's yet more to this case than meets the eye.




We've homed in on the truth, it seems.

It's subtle, but Alfendi's attitude to Lucy seems to have changed slightly since case 2. Unlike cases one and two, Alfendi accepted Lucy naming Strapping as the culprit based on her intuition without question, and while Alfendi is still prompting Lucy to explain contradictions and the meaning of pieces of evidence, he's stopped the occasional asking Lucy if she does "appreciate what the inconsistency is exactly?" Whether this is because Alfendi thinks Lucy's deductive skills have improved, and/or because she didn't run away/start acting differently after seeing Alfendi's "other side", or maybe it's simply that Alfendi and Lucy are getting more used to each other.

And proved that Strapping's the killer!

Phone Rings.

Oh, that's the phone.

I'll get it.

Lucy leaves and then returns.

It were forensics. They said the remote switch weren't pressed, just as we thought.

At least they waited for the results from forensics this time.



Music stops.



That clinches it.

Shall I call Strapping in?

There's still something that's troubling me a little, but...

I'm sure we've got enough. Yes, call him in.

Ee, I can't tell you how much I've been waiting for this!