Bootcha posted:

So here's my connect the dots:

Guy and Loretta were kindred spirits in trouble making. Guy's desperation for money and Loretta's sociopathic tendencies would make for an obvious pairing of burglary.

In the list of burglarized households is the value of each item. A ledger was found in Guy's hotel room with smaller values. As noted by Porky, Leech was a good enough fence to offer half the value of any stolen property. It is my conclusion that the ledger cites payment from Leech to Guy for the Ruby Earrings and Diamond Necklace, as fencing takes a little time to perform. The previous thefts add up to two thousand pounds at the cited half value, which Guy needed to pay off Kilgore, and more than likely that money went straight to Kilgore and not Guy's bank account. Now, Guy could've stopped there once the seven thousand pound debt was paid off, but Guy seemingly found a new income source, and a valuable partner, too good to walk away from. Guy's father cut him off, and Guy took that as an absolute, so this new calling was his future. He had the means, the base of operation with the trellis, and a source for targets. Why stop? And as others have noted, Loretta having been exposed to hypnosis therapy for over a decade, and her obvious sociopathic nature, has probably picked up a few tricks of the trade. Being of "blue blood" had its advantages for both Loretta and Guy by allowing them access to the high society social calls, and the flaunted wealth that both could target and source. So Guy was the Society Burglar.

So if Francis didn't murder Guy, how did Loretta do it? As others pointed out, that same trellis was a viable option for Loretta, and she herself is a noted climber of large fountains, so a trellis isn't out of the question. The sherry wine is an indication that Guy wasn't terribly surprised by this visit, but rather the result of it. The description of the gun purchaser points to Loretta impostering as her sister, which means some plan was stirring in Loretta's mind. So Loretta shot Guy. But why? I think the better question is "but why now?" The Cleopatra Tiara seems like the timing and object of desire Loretta would desire, as what's a princess without a proper and pretty tiara. Guy was probably intent on selling it, and as the two weren't lovers I don't think Guy was keen to "gift" it to her. Loretta killed Guy over the tiara.

But how do we prove Francis didn't shoot Guy? I was kinda lost, but then I remembered one little detail the Irregulars picked up on. So we've figured that Loretta hypnotized Francis the night of the murder, noted by the maid's "thought I heard" recollection, and Francis' odd behavior that morning. This is in line with the behavior and memory lapses she's had when isolated with Loretta. In any case, Francis is hypnotized to go to a place she's never been to before, to the room she wouldn't know, and fire a gun. Loretta got really good at hypnosis. But at the same time, hypnosis doesn't make you a trained assassin. Guy was already dead when Francis got there. What Francis did instead, was shoot at the ceiling. This is noted by the Irregulars' interviewing the hotel maid, who said there were bits of ceiling plaster on the carpet. Loretta certainly wouldn't chance a second shot to alert the neighbors and night staff in the middle of the night.

As to why frame Francis? Means come as they're needed. Francis was a tool Loretta was using for hypnosis practice, and now she had a need for someone to take the fall. And Francis was the nearest, most reliable tool Loretta could turn into the dupe at the time. I don't think the inheritance was a major motivator, it was more a question of immediate practicality. And as noted by Langdale and even Loretta herself (in probably her only moment of honesty), she didn't really care about Francis being in love with Guy any more than as a source of amusement.