Emergency recess
Susato reports that a young girl trying to escape from the courtroom was captured by the bailiff. Might she be the third passenger? But the total sum of twenty pence paid to Beppo contradicts this. Just who is this girl, anyway?
Back in the Crown Court, she and McGilded take the witness stand. It is revealed that the girl did indeed set off the smoke bomb, but she remains silent when questioned. Mr McGilded testifies for her to explain the situation.
McGilded's Testimony: The Young Girl
- On the night in question, I took the back seat in the omnibus and promptly nodded off.
- Then, begorrah, a loud thud and a wee scream woke me up with a fair start.
- There was a fella collapsed on the floor at me feet. So I sat him up on the seat across from me.
- Then I turned to find out where that scream had come from. And bless my soul, what did I find?
- There was a child in there, all curled in a ball, hiding her wee self away!
The Young Girl: Cross Examination
Press on all statements.
Gina's Testimony: What the Girl Saw
- So I snuck inside the carriage before they 'ooked up the 'orses, just like always.
- But it was a right old waste o' time. I got nuffin' to show for me troubles that night
- I'll tell ya, you can't see a thing in that hidin' place. It's pitch in there.
- Then after a while, I 'ear this loud bang. Nearly jumped out me skin, I did. An' the scream just...came out.
- It's because o' that, this swell found me. ...E' did 'elp me get away, mind.
When asked about the contents of the trunk, you can pick any option.
What the Girl Saw: Cross Examination
Press on all statements.
Press on the third statement once more.
Question McGilded on the line:
- I ain't into dark spaces. They make me feel all clausty-phobic-like.
How important was Gina's testimony just now? What did she hear? When given the option, select It's profoundly important. She will append a new statement to her testimony:
- I was strainin' me ears to work out wot was goin' on, but all I could 'ear was snorin'.
Press on this new statement. Gina really didn't hear anything else, huh? Something's off. Select It doens't add up when given the option. Something - or someone - else should have been audible to her. Show a person, then select Mason Milverton's profile. Since she was first to enter the coach, she should have heard the victim boarding it!
Naruhodou suggests a new possibility. Milverton certainly was a passenger, so the only other explanation is... Select There's another entrance when prompted. You are shown the omnibus sketch again. Indicate the only other entranceway available: the skylight on the roof! It might be possible to drop down through it from above. This would explain the "loud sound" McGilded and Gina heard. However, van Zieks is quick to remind you that neither witness brought this up. Are they hiding something? The courtroom orders Fairplay and Furst to testify once more.
Fairplay and Furst's Testimony: Refuting the Accusation
- Fairplay: We were the only two people up on that roof deck, dead or alive! ...I can swear to that!
- Furst: If anything happened where we were sitting, don't you think one or the other of us would have noticed?
- Fairplay: In any case, neither of us knew the first thing about the victim. We had no reason to kill the man!
- Furst: The skylight was shut the entire time, I tell you! We couldn't possibly have opened it!
- Fairplay: If you're so sure the victim fell through the skylight, where's your proof?
Refuting the Accusation: Cross Examination
Press on the third statement, then question McGilded on the line:
- Fairplay: Neither of us have the remotest connection to the gentlemen who were in the cabin!
He will reveal how the two were connected to the crime, and thus each had motive to murder.
Next, press on the fourth statement, then question Gina on the line:
- Furst: That skylight can't be opened! I tried and tried when I was inside that cabin of shame!
Turns out the skylight can be opened, but only from the roof.
Examine the omnibus and open the door, then the skylight. Taking a closer look at its inner frame reveals a bloodstain! Intriguing... This new evidence will be updated in the Court Record.
Present the updated Omnibus on the fifth statement, then indicate the bloodstain when prompted by the judge. Those two on the roof look pretty guilty now!
Invalid evidence?
The jury prepares to announce its verdict, when suddenly... van Zieks claims your newfound evidence to be invalid! The traces of blood were not there at the time of the investigation, so someone may have tampered with the omnibus during the trial. Choose It could have been possible when prompted, as there was in fact a small window of time this could have happened: during the smoke grenade explosion!
Enraged, Mr McGilded accuses you of being an amateurish upstart. van Zieks goes on to list other "oddities" that appeared in the crime scene. When prompted, say I have an inkling then indicate the blood on the omnibus' floor. van Zieks commends you for putting the truth before your client while McGilded goes into an uproar, saying that he has no evidence that any fabrication occurred. Thus, the traces are the truth as it pertains to the court. It appears the defence will receive its victory... but is this really okay?
No matter what you plead, McGilded erupts into laughter and asserts that your words are a formality, nothing more. Since the trial cannot continue, the jury is unneeded to declare the verdict. Therefore,
Magnus McGilded is found...
as the gallery murmurs in doubt.