Part 26: The Walking Corpse - Part 6

So, where do we start?



Were it really a demon at work, do you think?

No, that can't be. It was an elaborate illusion, I'm sure.

Aye, that's got to be it. An illusion.

And the person behind the illusion will almost certainly have left a trail of evidence, no matter how small.

And that's what we've got to find, right, Prof?







That certainly points to the sort of illusion I'm thinking of.

If I'm right, there should be another similar piece of evidence very nearby.



Here, Prof, what do you make of these nicks on the beams up here int' rafters?

Hm...They look like they were made by a thin rope or wire of some sort. Yes, very suspicious.

Aren't they just!

What do you think caused notches like these then, Lucy?





It were the fishing line rubbing on the beam that made the notches!

I've come to the same conclusion. Somebody threaded the line over the beams and then pulled them with considerable force.

And there must've been something heavy on the other end of the line to counteract the force of the pull.

Of course, we all know what that was, don't we, Lucy?




Well, it were the body tied to the end of the line, weren't it? What else?

Indeed.



That explains how the killer made something spectacular appear to happen. Which was, of course...?




By tying the fishing line to O'Logie's dead body and giving it a good tug at just the right time...the killer made it look like the fellow moved even though he were dead!





Murderer vanished.

Careta claimed that he passed straight through the hut walls using some demonic power.

But we all know such things do not exist.

Maybe not, but the door and window are off the table an' all.

So just how did the lad do it then?

Well, if the hut was genuinely locked from the inside, it leaves only one possible conclusion.





After he did O'Logie in, Careta must've hid himself somewhere inside the hut.

If you say that Careta was outside when he killed O'Logie, Alfendi will point out that the back of the hut is on a cliff edge, meaning the only way the zombie illusion could have been carried out from outside is if it was done via the door.

Very good, Lucy. I've come to the exact same conclusion.

Aye, that must be it!

But where could he have hidden in such a tiny place as that, eh?

That's the key question now. Perhaps we can identify some traces of evidence that show where Careta was hiding, do you think?





This mark ont' the floor's a bit of an odd shape. I don't suppose it's related to where Careta hid himself, eh?

It is an unusual shape, you're right. It looks like something must been in the way of whatever spilled.

So let's try to think what might have made the spillage take this kind of shape.




It must have been one of these big signs! It must've been put here and got int' way of whatever split.

Judging by their size and shape though, none of them could have stood up alone.

They would have been resting on something. Any ideas, Lucy?





The sign must've been resting on the coat hook!

In that position, it would've been int' way of the liquor that split, making the stain take that peculiar shape.

And such a large sign would be perfectly big enough to hide a person from view.

So that's that, then? Careta were int' hut the whole time, hiding behind this sign, eh?

Let's have a think about when the liquor could have been split before we draw any conclusions.




It must've been when the dead fellow moved. He must've knocked over the liquor!

That's what I had concluded.



Then someone must've put the sign back where it were after that happened.

Precisely. The sign is the answer to the mystery of how the hut was locked from the inside.




Music stops.

Now we've explained how the door were locked from the inside and how the body moved when it were dead.

Yes. And Careta admitted himself that he killed O'Logie.

Right before letting him walk out to continue his holiday.

There's no way he can talk his way out of it now.

So it looked like we've solved this one without you getting, all, you know, worked up.

That seems a little premature, considering they still have to question Careta again.

Yes...

Well, that's a bonus! Right, time to get Careta back then, eh?



Now we have all the evidence we need to prove Careta is guilty. We'll pin him down property this time.