Part 21: The Walking Corpse - Part 1

Hello, Dustin. Is it that time already?

Nah, I ain't come to do the cleanin' just yet. I got a funny story you might be int'rested in, that's all.

Dustin Scowers name seems to be a pun on Dust and Scourer, but Scowers also sounds like Scouser (assuming my pronunciation is correct), which is a term for someone from Liverpool.

Oh? What's that then?



Don't be daft, Dustin!



You reckon? Well, me big bruv's seen one wiv 'is own eyes! And wot's more, it was possessed. Bein' controlled by a demon.

Hm, intriguing indeed, Dustin. Tell us more.

Aye, you've got me hooked on this tale now! Come on, let's hear it!

Heh heh. Thought ya might say that. I got the whole thing written down 'ere in this file. I've no doubt you two'll figure out wot's wot wiv it.



Good to 'ear. And if ya can 'elp me bruv out while yer at it, that'd be diamond.

Your brother, Dustin? How's he involved?















Hm, I see.

Dustin did a good job of talking us into this one, didn't he?

What do you mean?

Let me explain the case a bit. A small group of archaeologists were carrying out a dig at an ancient site in the South American jungle.

Scotland Yard has got a pretty wide area of jurisdiction.



Murder, is it?

Well, this is what we know.



Ee, what a creepy little chap.

Back at their hotel, the team asked the proprietor if he had a safe place where they could store their finds.



Oh aye. Cliff-tops provide natural defences don't they? I remember that from second year geography.

On the subject of when this game takes place; in England, you attend first school from the age of 5 to 8, starting in year one, and leaving at the end of year three. Children then go to junior schools from the age of 8 to 11, starting in year four, and leaving at the end of year six. Alternatively, children may attend a primary school, which covers years one to six. Children are sorted into classes, and these classes are taught by a single teacher who covers all subjects.

After finishing year six, children then start year seven at the age of 11 in secondary school, until finishing year eleven at the age of 16, which is when mandatory schooling ends. In secondary schools, children are taught by a different teacher in each subject.

However, from around 1970 to 1990, the years weren't consecutive and sometimes called forms in secondary school; children started in first form/year, and left after finishing fifth form/year. If this isn't a localisation error (or I simply shouldn't be trying to apply reality to a Layton game), unless Lucy is talking about a lesson she had at the age of 7, that would place this game at some point between the 1980's to the late 1990's. Pre-1970, year eight would have been called lower fourth form.

That evening, a local who'd been helping out on the dig presented the team with some home-made liquor.



It was the middle of the night that things started to go wrong. The phone rang the front desk of the hotel with a call from the hut.




: Apparently, it's a special lock that has only one key, which is impossible to duplicate.



Ee, he must be a burly fellow, then.

Yes. But the scene that confronted him inside the hut would have made even the toughest of men wince.

Wh-what were in there, Prof?



Nasty.

An even more unbelievable turn of events followed.



Give over!

There were two witnesses, despite the apparent impossibility of the incident.

Dustin lied. He said Doug saw everything.

Ee, I've got chills running down my spine now.

The ensuring investigation revealed another interesting fact.



Apparently it was possessed by a demon.

Come on, Prof, you don't really believe it were the work of a demon, do you?

That's what was rumoured to be the case among the locals in the area.

Don't you think maybe we should leave well alone in this case, Prof?

We can't. The local police are detaining one of the archaeologists who was asleep outside the hut.

There you go, you see? It were no demon, it were a human. I knew it!

Well, that archaeologist...



Eh? What, our Dustin? Who dropped off all them papers before?

Music stops.

Yes, our Dustin. The cleaner.

It looks like the only way to help his brother is to identify the true culprit.

In that case, let's get stuck in!

My thoughts exactly. So, let's consider the possibilities.



There are four suspects.



On the night of the murder, he and O'Logie were drinking together, alone. Unfortunately, they got drunk, and now Scowers can't remember what happened.

If he weren't Dustin's brother, I'd be a more than a little suspicious of that.

Well, Lucy, he's still a suspect. We can't rule out the possibility that he's guilty.



Oh, aye. He's the fellow that recommended they use the hut in the first place, eh?



He was working with the team as their guide. He's also the person who gave the liquor to O'Logie and Scowers.

Hm, that's a bit fishy...



She's the one who heard O'Logie's dying screams over the phone.

The lass doesn't look much like a murderer, I must say.

And that's all our suspects.

There are a number of very peculiar things about this case. But the biggest mystery is how the murder took place.

Aye, 'cause when Sasucasa got to the hut, the door were still locked shut from the inside, weren't it?

Yes. And the only window in the hut is barred, making it impossible for anyone to get in or out that way.

So where did the killer disappear to then?

Where indeed? Those are all of the details we have so far.

With so little information to go on, I'm sure you'll find it hard to guess who the culprit is.

But still, what's your gut feeling, Lucy?

Always start with your gut feeling, eh, Prof?

Absolutely.




What we need to do is trace the killer's actions in the hut step by step.

If we do that correctly, it will lead us to the identity of the guilty party.



Right, let's see what we can deduce.



Do you think you'll be able to look around enough in five minutes?

Aye, no trouble, Prof!

The crime scene:



Outside the hut:



The window:



The suitcase:



The table:



The signs leaned up against the wall:



The crates:



The door:



The body:



The beams:





Statements:

Doug Scowers

Statement 1:

Chico brought us some liquor. It was great stuff. We called up to the hotel for glasses and Mariana brought them to us.

Statement 2:

I drank too much that night and fell asleep. I only stirred when the copper woke me. I have no recollection of why I was outside the hut at all.


Micah Sasucasa

Statement 1:

Mariana called me after 11pm, and we went to the hut together. The door was locked, I know I'm right about this because Mariana tried it too.

Statement 2:

I looked around the hut, but there was nobody inside except for Dr O'Logie. It was dark, but there's nowhere to hide in there. I'm certain it was empty.

Chico Careta

Statement 1:

There are 'diablos' at the site. The stone statue is one of them. I tried to stop Senor O'Logie from taking it. Now the diablo has killed him.

Statement 2:

I gave Senor O'Logie some of my people's liquor. That is the last time I was in the hut. I went straight home to bed. Night is when the diablos come.

Mariana Etista

Statement 1:

At around 11pm, Dr O'Logie called on the intercom, frantically screaming for help. 'It's the demon!' he said.

Statement 2:

I was too scared to go alone, so I called Mr Sasucasa to come to the hut with me. The door was locked, Mr Scowers was asleep outside.

Statement 3:

I saw it as well. The dead body got up and lunged towards us. It knocked over the bottle on the table, so I know it was not an illusion.