Part 24: TFR.txt

: Very well.

: Now, Fontaine. Is it true that you are a gun specialist?

: Well, I hate to brag, but...



: Fontaine, let's stick to the guns that were found at the crime scene. Tell us about those.
: Oh, right. Very well. This is the gun found on Séverin Cocorico's person at the time of arrest.



: Lots of police and soldiers carry these dull things. It's a gun that says, “I am a reliable man of the law”.

: That sounds like our Cocorico...

: Does it? Cocorico always told me that the riding crop was his self-defense weapon of choice. It's strange that he had a gun in the first place.

{[Gendarmerie pistol]} has been added to your evidence folder.

: And this is the gun found on the Croc-Monsieur's corpse, clutched tightly in his hands.



: This is an exquisite and highly customized gun Its one of a kind. Whoever used this weapon knew their stuff.

: The Croc-Monsieur was a legendary arms dealer. It's no surprise that his personal weapon would be something so flamboyant.

{[Turnover pistol]} has been added to your evidence folder.

: ...But what's really fascinating about the Croc-Monsieur’s gun is the ammunition. See, the bore of the pistol has been fitted with a set of grooves-

: Please stop, Fontaine. I didn't call you up to hear you show off your gun knowledge. Tell us what you uncovered when you examined the Croc-Monsieur's bullet wound.

: Ah, right. Well, a lead bullet was embedded in the middle of the Croc-Monsieur's sternum, and appeared to have a straight angle of entry.

: So, in other words, the Croc-Monsieur was facing his killer when he was shot.

: The other interesting point was that the Croc-Monsieur’s outer clothes were singed.



: And how close does a person have to be to be burned by a muzzle flash?

: Less than three meters, I would say. Five at the very most.

: Then there is no chance that there was a rogue sniper on the rooftops. The Croc-Monsieur’s killer was standing in Rue des Marmousets themselves. As is plainly evident, only one person was found in Rue des Marmousets at the time of the incident.



: ...

: Well said, madame. I think you just unequivocally proved this bird's guilt.

: Not so fast. I would like to cross-examine the witness.

: I don't think so. You're overstepping your bounds, bird.

: Let the lawyer try, Remus.





: Is there any way to tell whether a gun has been recently fired?

: That is an excellent question. Yes, there are a couple of ways. For around a minute after firing, a pistol's barrel is going to be hot to the touch. That's a dead give-away. But you could also check for gunpowder residue in the barrel and chamber. That would indicate that a gun has been fired since being cleaned.

: So, by your own analysis, would you say that Cocorico's weapon was fired last night?

: It's... difficult to say. None of us thought to check the pistol's barrel temperature at the time of the incident. So we can't use that method. If I check for gunpowder residue now... I see a little in the barrel. That could indicate a recently fired weapon. But it could also indicate a lack of proper maintenance.

: So, basically, you don’t know whether this weapon was or wasn't fired last night. If we cannot be certain whether Cocorico even fired his gun, then this whole trial ought to be thrown out.

: Nice try, Falcon, but Cocorico is still our prime suspect. He was standing over the Croc-Monsieur's body with the weapon in his hands. If that gun is not the murder weapon, then what is?

: ...

: This isn't working. Try another approach, Falcon.



: Fontaine, I have a question regarding Cocorico's Gendarmerie pistol. Pardon my ignorance, but I am not a gun connoisseur like yourself. What do you mean by “caliber”?

: A gun's caliber is the width of its internal barrel, and the width of the bullets that it fires.

: So you would use 15mm wide bullets for a pistol with a 15mm wide barrel. That makes sense. Did the bullet embedded in the Croc-Monsieur's chest match the caliber of Cocorico's pistol?

: I don't know for sure. I didn't have the time nor the equipment to dig the bullet out of the Croc-Monsieur's chest. Besides, lead bullets fragment. It would be difficult to properly piece together a fired lead bullet to assess its caliber with any accuracy.

: Then it's possible that the caliber of the bullet in the Croc-Monsieur’s chest doesn't match the caliber of Cocorico's gun.

: Do you know that for a fact, Falcon? Or is this just more vapid speculation on your part?





: Fontaine, about the Croc-Monsieur's Turnover pistol... Is the gun valuable?

: Oh yes. Unquestionably. If one were to sell this, they would be set for a year...Not that I would sell a beauty such as this.

: Get a room.

: You were about to say something about the gun’s ammunition before Madame Beaumort cut you off. Could you give us the details?

: Oh, great. Now he’ll never stop talking...

: I'm glad you asked, Falcon! See, as you probably know, most bullets are just small, round, lead balls, right? But that's not the case here. This particular weapon uses an advanced, iron-tipped, aerodynamic, carefully grooved- Actually, it would be quicker if I just show you.



: It is very rare, top-of-the-line technology. Before last night, I had never seen one of these in-person before.

: Like I said before, the Croc-Monsieur was a legendary arms dealer. It only makes sense that he would have access to the latest weaponary. (sic)

: Where did you find this bullet, Fontaine?

: In the Turnover pistol's chamber.

{[Minié ball]} has been added to your evidence folder.

: Hold on. I'm confused. I thought the Croc-Monsieur fired his gun, so how is it possible that his gun was still loaded with a bullet?

: A turnover pistol is double barreled. This means that it can hold two bullets at once, ready to be fired in quick succession.

: Ah I see. The Croc-Monsieur fired one bullet, but died before he could fire the second.

: I trust that you have no more questions about this matter, Falcon. We've wasted enough time already.





: Fontaine, you say that the Croc-Monsieur was shot in the chest, at a straighten angle. May I have a diagram?

: Yeah, let's do that! Dramatic forensic recreations!

: No, you can't have a diagram, you bloody idiots. I do not have the patience to watch you draw lines on a chalkboard to work out the location of a mythical second shooter. Use your heads! The gunman was standing right in front of the crocodile!

: R-right. Of course.



: Is it at all possible that the bullet reflected? Bounced of a piece of metal, perhaps?

: Well, that sort of thing can happen. I've heard of soldiers getting shot in the back from bullets deflecting off cannons and debris and what-not.

: So it could have happened here?

: Well...

: Falcon, are you saying that you actually know that the bullet reflected off something, or are you just speculating?



: Fontaine, you mentioned that the Croc-Monsieur's clothes were singed

: Right. His vest and jacket were slightly burned from the close-range muzzle flash.

: I would like to see them.

: What, his clothes?

: Yes. Bring them out so that I can do a proper examination of the evidence at hand.

: Falcon, you idiot, we didn't strip the Croc-Monsieur down to his skivvies. We took his gun, and I think Pierro took the change from his pockets, and then we left the body in the alley. ...Fully-clothed, if that wasn't clear.

: Ah I see. My mistake.



: Could the burn have been caused by something else?

: Like what?

: Ash from a cigar, perhaps.

: Well...

: Hold on, Fontaine. Falcon, are you saying that you know the burn was caused by something else, or is this just blind guesswork?





: Not yet. Where is the other bullet?

: What other bullet?

: The fired Minié ball. There were two shots that night, remember? One from the assailant, and one from the crocodile.

: I scoured the scene for a couple of minutes, but I couldn't find it.



: Madame Beaumort, did anyone find the fired Minié ball in Cocorico's body?

: In his body? You are asking if Cocorico was wounded by the bullet? No, that much is plain to see.

: So again I must ask, where is the fired Minié ball?

: ... Well I don't have any clue. What are you trying to get at, Falcon?

: Isn't it obvious? If the bullet wasn't embedded in the alleyway wall, and it wasn't embedded in Cocorico, then that means...



: The bullet hit the murderer - the real murderer! It must still be embedded in whoever attacked the Croc-Monsieur.

: A ludicrous notion.

: It makes perfect sense! The double-barreled Turnover gun! The missing bullet!

: Fine. I'll humor you. Let's say that a bullet did indeed hit the real perpetrator. What of it?

: Well, it's only been a few hours since the shooting. Presumably, the person will still have the bullet lodged in them.



: That’s reasonable. But we don't have time nor resources to search every citizen of Paris to uncover an injured gunman.

: You don’t have to search everyone in Paris. I believe the murderer to be someone in this very room.

: Oh? You think we have a traitor in our ranks?

: This was obviously a planned attack. Someone invited Cocorico and the Croc-Monsieur to the same place at the same time in order to create a setup. Only someone with a rebels connections could engineer such an event.

: This is ridiculous. Are you really saying that someone in this room was shot last night? That's clearly untrue.

: A bullet wound can be concealed. Perhaps if you all were to take off your shirts...

: No. I'm not having everyone in the room strip down to their knickers just to cater to your outrageous theory. If you can't think of a more reasonable way to prove your stray bullet theory, then we end this damned trial here and now.

: A... more reasonable way?



: I have a more reasonable way!

: What are you thinking, Falcon?

: Isn't it obvious? We have the perfect way to uncover whether someone has been shot. It's a genius solution!



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