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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Circus: Mafia 2010: Preservation
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
Leo is somewhat surprised to be nominated as a Mafioso. After all, the good Doctor ended up dead and the mob reneged on the deal to set him free, so surely mob members would have voted for option 2 to avoid any accusations, secure in the knowledge that the doctor would die anyway.
That I went for option one is clear evidence of my innocence. In contrast the most likely guilty parties are those who voted for option two and voted late. The one who secured that there would be no accusations yesterday is most likely to be in the mob. So I nominate Matilda Smudgeson.
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leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
On most days, Hugh would have been overjoyed at the arrival of the Hook Norton cart, ready with a sarcastic barb for the tardy delivery man. Today, however, there was merely a grunt in greeting. One of Hugh's regulars had been killed, which was bad enough; to know that the town's police informant had been offed as well . . .
Hugh was just a bit nervous for his own life, in all honesty. He knew not to trust the BCS, but was unsure of trusting the wisdom of his fellow Shippies. As he opened the pub for the early lunch crowd, his doubts were, for the most part, put to rest. People were calling for ropes, as was to be expected, but the names that were being tossed about were, for the most part, the objects of Hugh's greatest suspicion.
Bo Langdon and Matilda Smudgeson had both aroused Hugh's suspicion in the past. Though he had once enjoyed Bo's company and cheese, Hugh thought it odd that, as soon as a finger even began to point her way, the lady started in on protestations in favor of either inaction or her own innocence. Methinks the lady doth protest to much. Matilda, on the other hand, had never enjoyed the favour of Hugh's good graces, ever since insulting the service at his pub. Furthermore, as one of his regulars pointed out, her behaviour during the last round of voting had been rather . . . suspicious.
Hugh continued deliberating as he brought his handpumps back into working order.
[ 03. March 2010, 14:09: Message edited by: AristonAstuanax ]
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
Jim looked through the newspaper, he knew action would have to be taken, else the mafia could kill at their leisure.
Yet he had nothing to go on, were the villages amenable to the idea of searching before killing things would be so much easier.
He looked nervously at the two groups being formed, if an innocent was lynched then it made the accusations of the other seem suspicious.
Yet he had seen enough phantom plots to take over the PCC, to know smoke could appear without fire, but surely some of the Mafia would be heaping the oil on.
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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Joyeux
Ship's Lady of Laughter
# 3851
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Posted
Heading for the tea room, considering the awful mess that this to-all-appearances serene & lovely town has gotten itself into (or been pushed into?), Melindra Tallston has to face facts.
(jots down notes once comfortably settled at a different table than during previous visits, this time not facing out the window - Melindra uses her own version of shorthand and abbreviations, designed to foil the attempts of others to read & purloin her creativity)
*The cliché about no honour among thieves carries over to murderers as well.
*Who sent Andrew Thomas that highly criptic message, where had he been for all of those years, and why did he come back?
*Just how long before the news establishment of the USA tumbles to the fact that I'm here, and have seen one of the recent victims? I don't want to contact anyone to guage how close they are, as that might trigger them to provide an anonymous tip to those who I wish to keep away.
Melindra looks up, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, as though someone was just staring at her... Is it paranoia if they really are out to get you??? she muses.
"Good heavens! I've begun thinking in worn-too-thin phrases. I've got to head home and immerse myself in something technical, something factual, something solid - like the manual explaining how to work my new toaster oven! Maybe that will help me to think clearly about this whole mess of justice in the hands of all of us!"
(Note: Melindra does not accuse Andrew Thomas, but is merely musing)
(eta - missing pronoun)
[ 03. March 2010, 17:25: Message edited by: Joyeux ]
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Float?...Do science too
Posts: 4318 | From: over th... no, there! | Registered: Dec 2002
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
Good Heavens. Yet another murder? And if the police are not immune from these horrendous crimes, then who can be?
And, if I'm not mistaken, Hazel and I saw young Kate in the Tearoom last night. Who would ever have guessed that would be the last time we would have the chance to talk.
There are accusations flying all over town as to the identity of the murderer, or is that murderers? I think this is the time for some good, strong coffee, and consider who might be guilty. Honestly, I don't think I would have accused any of the ones who have been mentioned.
Miz Lillian gets a notebook and writes all that she can remember of the past few days while Hazel keeps the coffee mug filled.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Okay, we have three nominations so far. The nomination/defence phase will end in 24 hours, so at about 2100 central on Thursday (0300 GMT Friday). At that time, voting will begin.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
Dan Ffloyd had no thoughts on who to accuse. As usual, nobody was twirling moustaches and looking shifty.
Dan was wondering who, among the villagers, would be devious and imaginative enough to come up with the "offer" to not kill Dr Brown. That seemed an important consideration to him.
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Pax Romana
Shipmate
# 4653
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Posted
"Being dead isn't all that bad," thought Kate Dominic. "I don't have that bursitis pain in my shoulder anymore. And I don't have to finish that freakin' novel if I don't want to!" She flew up about 100 feet into the air and marveled in the view. She briefly considered haunting the Shipbury Tea Rooms, but decided against it. Instead, she would haunt the park. It would be more fun, and she could scare more people.
Pax Romana
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I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.
James Thurber
Posts: 4598 | From: New York City | Registered: Jun 2003
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Pax Romana:
"Being dead isn't all that bad," thought Kate Dominic. "I don't have that bursitis pain in my shoulder anymore. And I don't have to finish that freakin' novel if I don't want to!"
But you can finish it . . .
Does this mean it would be ghostwritten?
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Pax Romana
Shipmate
# 4653
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Posted
Um ... I think if people start answering my posts I will be told I can't haunt anymore, and that would be no fun. Maybe it would be best to allow me to remain unseen and unheard, so that my posts don't interrupt the flow of the game.
![[Biased]](wink.gif)
Pax Romana
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I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.
James Thurber
Posts: 4598 | From: New York City | Registered: Jun 2003
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Okay, the nominations are closed and it is time for the village of Shipbury to decide if a lynching is called for.
The voting options are as follows:- Bo Langton to be lynched (nominated by Dalbhac Nuabha).
- Leo Gnattson to by lynched (nominated by Bo Langton).
- Matilda Smudgeson to be lynched (nominated by Leo Gnattson).
- No lynching.
So, please vote now.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
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Posted
Bo
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'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by leonato:
That I went for option one is clear evidence of my innocence.
Hmmm, Miz Lillian didn't think that at all.
Leo
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Joyeux
Ship's Lady of Laughter
# 3851
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Posted
Leo, because he nominated Miss Smudgeson, whose tea room Melindra finds to be a welcome oasis in this surprisingly troubled spot.
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Float?...Do science too
Posts: 4318 | From: over th... no, there! | Registered: Dec 2002
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
With a heavy heat Jim decided that the no lynching was not an option, with a sick feeling in his stomach he put an x by Matilda's name.
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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Eliab
Shipmate
# 9153
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Posted
It’s a hard decision.
Against Bo: Dalbhac’s nomination gives no reasons. Vivian makes a better case. She’s right that it would usually be in a criminal’s interests to vote late, but I think that the last vote was an unusual case. A vote for option two was always going to be safely inconspicuous, because saying “Let’s try to save the surgeon if we can” is always going to be appealing to an innocent mind. The only ‘option two’ votes that stand out are the first (sticking one’s neck out) and the seventh (the decider).
Against Leo: I simply don’t understand Bo’s point about Hugh. And I don’t think and apparent complicity between anyone in the first vote proves anything. Why would the criminals need to do it?
And Leo makes a valid point in his defence. He did, of course, vote for option 1 after the deciding vote had been cast, so it was more a note of dissent than an attempt to influence the result. Still, it was a conspicuous act that he didn’t need to do.
Is Leo subtle enough to do that as a deliberate ploy? To act in a way that might attract unnecessary suspicion for the sole purpose of arguing that a guilty man would not do that? Yes, probably he is. But that doesn’t make him guilty.
Against Matilda: Actually, pretty much the same reasoning applies. The decisive vote is one of the few option 2 votes that stick out. Matilda could have been fairly sure that with the vote at 6 to 2, option 2 would carry the day, and could have waited a little to avoid being the decider. Is she subtle enough to cast the critical vote so as to look as if she isn’t trying to keep her head down? Again, yes, probably. And again, that doesn’t prove guilty.
The case against Bo looks strongest to me, mostly because of her unclear accusation of Leo.
The votes are 3:2:1. We learn more from a close vote than a landslide. There are 13 voters, so no risk of a possibly disastrous double mistake, so there’s no reason not to keep it close. Bo.
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"Perhaps there is poetic beauty in the abstract ideas of justice or fairness, but I doubt if many lawyers are moved by it"
Richard Dawkins
Posts: 4619 | From: Hampton, Middlesex, UK | Registered: Mar 2005
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
While Leo feels there is a case against Bo, he goes with his original reasoning, and nomination:
Matilda
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leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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Banner Lady
Ship's Ensign
# 10505
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Posted
Bo was still convinced that people who pretended to be statues were probably not to be trusted. Leo
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Women in the church are not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be enjoyed.
Posts: 7080 | From: Canberra Australia | Registered: Oct 2005
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
According to the story Hugh had put around (25 Feb 3:16), Bo Langton had expressed suspicion of Dan Ffloyd. Dan was aggrieved. He was just standing around in the square raising consciousness. Still, he wouldn't let her prejudice against living statues affect his vote.
Either all three of the BCS voted the same way in the last vote, or they didn't. Dan thought that there was a chance that the BCS would have purposefully split their vote to avoid being seen as a block. If so, then at least one would have voted to go ahead with accusations. The chance that Leo was guilty would therefore be 1/3. The chance of Bo or Matilda being guilty was less than that. (Calculations available on request.) Dan could be wrong about the BCS voting strategy, but even so, the probabilities favoured voting for Leo.
Also, at the time of voting, Leo was the leader in votes anyway, and only if everyone else voted for Bo would someone other than Leo be voted out. And Dan thought it important to vote someone off this round.
So Leo it is.
[ 05. March 2010, 23:58: Message edited by: Dafyd ]
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Smudgie
Ship's Barnacle
# 2716
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Posted
Matilda was perplexed. It would appear that people suspected her of evil-doing. She knew her own innocence, but how could she prove it?
Her mind flustered around the possibilities and the actions she could take. To vote for no lynching at all was her instinctive response - after all, too many people in the town were already dead. But perhaps the only way to prove that she was uninvolved in the killings was to help find those people who were.
So, was it Bo or was it Leo? Personally she had other suspicions but, like most teashop owners, she was averse to spreading gossip! She preferred to gather a bit more evidence before making accusations which might be proved wrong. Bo provided her with good quality local produce - perhaps the murders were a way of persuading more people to use the teashop, thus boosting Matilda's own profit but also considerably boosting the income of Bo. She had been a particularly vocal and visible member of the community - perhaps her role within the protest group had demanded that she infiltrate the local community thoroughly. But no, it is more likely that a terrorist would keep a low profile, fade more into the background.
There was nothing for it but to vote, albeit reluctantly, for the man who had tried to turn attention from himself to her. He had based his claims on the fact that hers had been the deciding vote to go along with the kidnappers' demands last time, although she had simply voted for what she deemed best. It would appear that she had the deciding vote here too. She would join the majority vote and, with a heavy heart and a prayer that she was doing the right thing, she would vote for Leo.
Decision made, she comforted herself with a nice cup of tea and a raspberry muffin.
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Miss you, Erin.
Posts: 14382 | From: Under the duvet | Registered: Apr 2002
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Hugh watched with horror as the votes came in, condemning an innocent man to death. Every scrap of evidence he could find, other than prejudices and arbitrary voting by the senile and insane, pointed straight to Smudgeson and Langton and away from poor Leo; every hunch and bit of intuition he had to go off of, every analysis of the voting behaviours of this duo . . .
There was no way either of them could be innocent. And yet, here they were, lynching a loyal citizen of Shipbury.
No Lynching
I'd throw my vote in for Bo if it mattered at this point, as the most evidence, in my opinion, points to her--this is not a vote of pacifism, but a vote of protest. You have been manipulated by vile agents of the Brotherhood, shameless traitors and bold-faced liars, a hypocritical white devil in our midst! You will all regret this come the morning.
I need another drink.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Wet Kipper
Circus Runaway
# 1654
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Posted
Leo
Old man Thomas was also wondering who had sent him that original cryptic message - he hadn't recognised the number, and didn't remember giving his out to too many people around here.
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- insert randomly chosen, potentially Deep and Meaningful™ song lyrics here -
Posts: 9841 | From: further up the Hill | Registered: Nov 2001
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
So, the votes are all in and the results are:- Lynch Bo Langton: 3 votes,
- Lynch Leo Gnatsson: 7 votes,
- Lynch Metilda Smudgeson: 2 votes,
- No lynching: 1 vote.
Given that there are 13 voters, 7 votes is enough to secure a lynching and so Leo Gnatsson will swing. He was a villager.
Mr Gnatsson, if you would like to post a death scene, please do so.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
Realising the game is up Leo ran headlong into the village square.
"Fools! Fools!" He cried. "Don't be fooled by the honeyed words of the mob. Don't vote on gut instinct or blind prejudice. Listen to reason and evidence. Let the death of an innocent villager serve as a warning to you all. I can only hope that my death is the mob's first mistake, for the hands of the guilty are now clearly stained with blood."
He makes a desperate dash for freedom, with his dog tearing along beside him. But it is too late. A single shot rings out and Leo collapses in the square. Dead.
Leo's body will be burned on a funeral pyre in Sampson's field tomorrow. No flowers.
He hopes someone will give Knut a good home.
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leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Night falls.
If you have night actions, please PM them to me at your earliest convenience. Thanks. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Smudgie
Ship's Barnacle
# 2716
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Posted
Alas, poor Leo. So he had been innocent all along! What was happening to this sleepy little town? Death and disaster at every turn, it seemed.
Matilda Smudgeson shuddered.
For the first time in ages she bolted the door before retiring to bed, leaving a nightlight burning to ward off her sudden fear of the dark.
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Miss you, Erin.
Posts: 14382 | From: Under the duvet | Registered: Apr 2002
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Hugh was glad for the extra protection Knut afforded him. If nothing else, the dog now curled up asleep at the foot of his bed above the pub might warn him about intruders. A bit of leftover steak from the lunchtime pies definitely didn't hurt the poor dog . . .
Poor dog had had a rough life. Hopefully, only one master of his had to die. Hugh was happy to have a hound at long last; he hoped he wouldn't be meeting any angels any time soon, though.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Pax Romana
Shipmate
# 4653
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Posted
"Poor Leo," thought Kate Dominic as she floated above the town square. "He had a few good years left in him. But maybe at least I'll have some company here on the other side. It has been getting lonely."
With that she headed for her favorite haunt, the park.
Pax Romana
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I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.
James Thurber
Posts: 4598 | From: New York City | Registered: Jun 2003
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Rats. Ratsratsrats.
Miz Lillian had been so sure that Leo was not as innocent as he professed to be. It is a bitter thing to have that on one's conscience. Could it be her eyes? She certainly isn't as young as she once was. Maybe a good pair of spectacles would help her to see into the souls of the townspeople.
She wrote in her notebook:
To do...make an appointment with the ophthalmologist. Pronto.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Banner Lady
Ship's Ensign
# 10505
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Posted
Bo put the last cheese pie into the oven and went to check her phone messages. She wondered if the recent horrid events would affect business at the co-op. She knew there were rumours that she was part of the BCS. She knew this was rubbish; but how to convince everyone else that she was just a simple villager and not one of the sinister element terrorizing Shipbury?
She had nominated Leo (because he was one of three voting to kill the surgeon). She had figured that at least ONE of those voting for murder and mayhem must have been part of the BCS. So she was still VERY suspicious of Vivien and Alison. She also knew that the real power behind the nefarious activities in Shipbury was probably laying low and not doing anything to draw attention to himself or herself.
She poured herself a glass of sherry and Cuddy Cottage Dairy cream, and stirred it with her finger. "If I was in the BCS," she thought, "I would not kill Bo Langton overnight, because the innocent villagers could easily be manipulated now to lynch her as a scapegoat for the next murder."
It was not much comfort. But she expected to fnd herself alive in the morning. Just.
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Women in the church are not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be enjoyed.
Posts: 7080 | From: Canberra Australia | Registered: Oct 2005
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fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
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Posted
So the residents of Shipbury had ignored Dalbhac's advice and lynched an innocent. It was going to be a long night. He put the coffee pot on and sat in the dark thinking about painting while the pot gurgled.
With a sudden hiss the coffee was ready. A hiss! That was it - the kernel of an idea that was so long in coming. He would use his art to implicate the dastardly killers. He ran to the bookshelf, tripping over full paint cans and an empty easel. He flicked on the lights and limped back to the books. Right in the middle of the shelf - it had been sitting defiantly all along - sat a tome on 'The Night Watch'. Every preposterous idea, and possibly every good one, was contained in this one volume. He wrestled the book back to his chair to study again Rembrandt's accusation.
Ideas came flooding back into his mind. Dalbhac felt alive again. The coffee grew cold in the pot. He reached down to the floor and grabbed a sketch book and a small stubby pencil. Opening the book, Dalbhac began to sketch out the beginnings of an idea for the first time in over 15 years.
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'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Morning breaks.
And, refreshingly, all of Shipbury's residents awake at their usual time and go about the business of their day.
We shall now have another round of accusations and defence. As before, I'll give you 24 hours warning of the vote.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
Vivian had been of the opinion that the evidence was pointing to Bo even before the lynching of the unfortunate Mr Gnattson, but now she was convinced.
First of all, there had been the deliberate misinformation. Bo had tried to suggest that choosing option 1 was a vote for "murder and mayhem". This was palpably untrue. Option 2 could not save the surgeon, because he was already dead. Option 1 was actually an attempt to identify the killers, and in the event made precisely no difference to the outcome for Andrew Brown. The town had gone for what looked like the safe option but had in fact allowed the criminals to steal a march on them. Kate Dominic had been killed, and no attempt had been made to find the culprits.
Had the vote been tighter, it seemed likely to Vivian that one of the evildoers might well have voted apart from the others, but with the figures at almost 4 to 1 (11 to 3), she couldn’t see that there was any need. She believed that all of them had voted in the same way, and the fact that Bo had offered no reasoning for her choice also struck her as suspiscious.
Vivian is of the opinion that there are most likely three members of the BCS actively involved in the crime. She believes this since there are any given time 4 nomination possibilities. There must be more options than there are killers, otherwise they can avoid being caught simply by making all the nominations themselves. Vivian knows that the local bailiff, Mr Imaginary-Friend, must be well aware of this, ever since that Murder Mystery Weekend that she ran at the hotel, when the two of them had tried to pull precisely this stunt.*
If she is right in her surmise, then three people can perfectly well hide in a crowd of 11. There is no need for them to make themselves conspicuous by sticking their heads above the parapet to vote against popular opinion.
The misinformation (shock! people didn’t try to save the life of a man who was already dead anyway!) was carried on to the point of accusing Leo. Bo had herself been accused of involvement with the crime, and had immediately sought to deflect attention elsewhere by shifting the blame to Leo, another innocent (if eccentric) citizen who was no more. She had preemptively tried to claim that the killers were now going to allow her to take the blame, but well, she would say that wouldn’t she?
Bo Langton’s produce order at the Country House Hotel is cancelled forthwith. And frankly I'm looking at that last lot of pie with some suspiscion. Don't want to be poisoning any guests, now...
*and we would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for that pesky moderator Sadly I don’t think this game made it to Limbo. We were very dastardly.
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
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Posted
Dalbhac was still horribly suspicious of Bo
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'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Can I clarify if either Ms Rudge or Mr Nuabha have actually nomiated Bo Langton for lynching?
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Hugh awoke late in the day; it was almost opening time by the time he'd had his first cup of coffee. He patted Knut on the head as he headed downstairs to find out what had happened during the night.
Nothing.
A quiet night in Shipbury. No assassinations, no cement shoes, no kidnappings--simple peace and quiet.
Hugh was momentarily overjoyed at the prospect of quiet in his hometown, before he realized what this meant.
Both the BCS and the town's doctor (who? who could that be?) had chosen the same target--one to cure, one to kill. Which might just imply that both parties knew who the town police informant was, as well as that their foil knew as well. This also meant that the informant had effectively had his cover blown and would only be alive so long as the town GP was.
Hugh's heart sank. He knew exactly what this meant for him personally.
"Nothing left to loose now, I suppose."
He took a piece of kidney and gave it to Knut. Everyone was going to need their strength this morning for what was coming next. Having to open for Sunday lunch meant that Hugh was not a regular in the village church, but it was a rare man who had invoked the protection of the Almighty more fervently than Hugh did as he picked up a stout stave and walked out the door, Knut following at his heels.
His first task was to find Bo Langton, hopefully before the villagers ostracized her. Moral support would be extremely nice, as would some immoral support for when things got nasty. It was harder to find Ms. Langton than it usually was on most mornings; a number of customers had already canceled their orders, being suspicious of her--admittedly, as even Hugh had been until the previous night. Recent inquiries had put these suspicions to rest, however, and Hugh hoped Bo would be willing to forgive the enmity of the past.
Bo looked rather startled as Hugh approached her on the street. Admittedly, seeing the pub landlord out in the village during opening hours was odd enough, but especially when armed and in the company of a rather large dog.
"Do not be afraid," said Hugh, hoping that this line worked as well as it supposedly had in the past. "We must both act now; the villagers are about to lynch another innocent, while the real killer gets away again. Come with me; this may be our last chance to stop the BCS."
Over a bit of bread and cheese, Hugh explained to Bo what he knew; how he'd known of the innocence of Leo, how he'd confirmed his suspicions on the night before he was lynched, how his suspicions of Bo had eventually cleared her name--and implicated another in the crimes affecting their town. Bo took a deep breath, stood up, and, with a look of determination and renewed strength in her eyes, walked out the door with Hugh.
The Shipbury Tea Rooms were always busy at this time of day, but especially due to the lull in the heinous crimes committed by the Brotherhood. What was the meaning of this return to peace and quiet? Gossip flew and speculation ran wild as cups of tea and chocolate were constantly refilled by the friendly proprietress. There were few left in the village who knew for sure who belonged to the Brotherhood, ever since Hugh's colleague had been offed; even Hugh had been tempted by false leads in the past, while the criminals went unknown. Today, though, that changed.
Hugh opened the door to the tea rooms, followed by Bo and a growling Knut. All activity in the shop came to a halt. Hugh rarely left his pub during business hours; he never came into the tea rooms, ever since the owner slighted his service. Hugh stepped forward into the room, advancing toward the till, where Miss Smudgeson stood, staring at him and his dog.
"Matilda Smudgeson, you stand accused of the murders of the citizens of Shipbury!"
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
I was going to accuse Bo, but since the landlord clearly knows what he's talking about, I withdraw my accusation and agree that Matilda must be brought to justice.
If she still wants to supply me, then Bo is welcome to start selling fruitcake to the hotel again. ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif) (although it would probably be in your interests not to talk quite so much in the future, dear...)
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Joyeux
Ship's Lady of Laughter
# 3851
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Posted
Question: does the fact that nobody died definitely mean that the BCS attempted a murder but the doctor intervened?
Roaming the streets on a blessedly quiet morning, Melindra deliberately avoids the hotel, the tea room, the pub, and that live statue thing, headed toward more open space. "Obviously my experience at writing fiction that deals with things unrelated to crime solving has been of no help to me in unraveling any of the mysterious events befalling Shipbury. I'll take the rest of today and explore the town... I haven't done any sight-seeing to speak of. How exciting! And maybe I'll get my head clear so that I can think. And maybe I'll avoid that telephone call from my publicity manager, who just wants to check in. Ha! He wants to find out of there's anything going on that out of which he can generate more book sales and so net himself a larger commission. I need to review his contract... make sure that the terms are generous, but sufficient to make him abide by my plans, not his."
As Melindra turns that last corner off of the main section of town, she thought she heard a noise... but was it a strange noise, a mysterious noise, or just an ordinary noise?
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Float?...Do science too
Posts: 4318 | From: over th... no, there! | Registered: Dec 2002
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Banner Lady
Ship's Ensign
# 10505
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Posted
Bo nodded at Hugh. She should have trusted Jim's judgement first time round. Matilda was the one who had the casting vote in the first lot of voting - never mind the fact that the surgeon was dead either way. "Mrs S, I'm cancelling my order here. How DARE you re-label my Lardy Johns as 'Matilda's Home Baked Fruit Scones'!"
Bo also accuses Matilda
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Women in the church are not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be enjoyed.
Posts: 7080 | From: Canberra Australia | Registered: Oct 2005
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
Dan Ffloyd wandered into the pub. He'd been practicing his art in the market square, but the lynching pole cast something of a pall on it somehow.
After editing his memory of his part in the lynching by consuming several pints of the landlord's finest, Dan was in an expansive mood. The BCS had been cunning; Dan Ffloyd gave them that. They'd managed to make it seem to all but the keenest minds that Leo was guilty.
Sitting in his corner, Dan couldn't help noticing that some of the aforementioned keenest minds seemed to be coming to a consensus on the guilt of Matilda Smudgeson.
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
Given that the only votes against Matilda last time were his own (which had been made after several pints) and poor Leo's, Jim wondered about Matilda, her actions were suspicious (voting the decider once is chance, twice...?, yet people were eager to focus on her if she was innocent then what did that mean about Hugh (why the face change with Bo-was it the surgeons knowledge?), Vivian (always 2nd to the rope), Bo (using an unreliable source) and the quiet ones, Dan currently distinguishing himself with stirring comments about the prevailing mood.
He thought that Dan ought to give some explainations of himself [the noisier members will have some explainations when the lynchee is searched, but the quiet will evade this].
[ 08. March 2010, 21:52: Message edited by: Jay-Emm ]
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
So, we have three nominations already. Any more for any more?
Defence will finish and the voting open in about 24 hours, so roughly 10pm Central tomorrow.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
Dan didn't quite follow Jim's chain of reasoning. But Jim had asked him to explain himself. Dan was pleased to do so. Dan's performance questioned the boundaries between the animate and inanimate thereby exposing the way in which capitalism fetishises the commodity, and thereby...
Jim made it clear that he wanted Dan to explain his comments on the previous night's lynching.
Dan's alter ego was roleplaying his reaction to the previous night's events. There was not much more significance to it. As regards his final remarks, Dan had voted to lynch the wrong person. He now thought it likely that he'd been voting alongside the BCS. So those who hadn't voted for Leo last round were probably innocent and should be listened to. Wouldn't Jim rather hear about the fetishisation of the commodity?
It appeared Jim wouldn't.
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Smudgie
Ship's Barnacle
# 2716
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Posted
Miss Smudgeson could hardly believe her eyes and ears - to think that she was being accused once again of a heinous crime.
It struck her as interesting, however, that Dan had so abruptly changed his mind as to Bo's guilt or innocence. What possible reason could he have for drawing such attention to Bo, only to focus it more strongly on another? The only reason she could think of was a serious double bluff - perhaps Bo was indeed a member of the BCS and Dan her accomplice. To accuse a fellow terrorist and then withdraw that accusation could provide a smoke screen for one or the other, prevent the local populace from linking the two. And a "well reasoned" accusation of someone else, following on the bandwagon of another player, could then divert attention quite successfully onto an innocent person and thus dwindle the ranks of the villagers even more. As far as Matilda could see, that could certainly be one explanation for his behaviour. After all, he had stated in no uncertain terms that poor Leo was a more suspicious character than either herself or Bo.
It would appear that Dan Ffloyd could definitely have some ulterior motive for his accusation.
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Miss you, Erin.
Posts: 14382 | From: Under the duvet | Registered: Apr 2002
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Gwai
Shipmate
# 11076
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Posted
Miss Rachel's lawnchair had become a permanent fixture -- on the neighbor's lawn. She wasn't about to ruin her own good lawn with an ugly chair! And what better place to let your neighbors know what you really think of them?
"I'm not even going to bother pretending to mourn that Leo fellow. So he wasn't guilty? Who cares. He annoyed me anyway. Only reason I might miss him is if his killers come after me. Or if someone blames me for it, I guess. But as a virtually immobile old woman, I can't see much odds in that.
As you can all guess, I don't much mind if we lynch Dan and Miss tea room lady. I'll happily vote for either. Still, I'd just as soon kill the right people first in case one of them comes for me. So I'll bother to ask: why are we all listening to a couple people repeatedly accusing each other for our entertainment? You all aren't that great*, I have episodes of Jerry Springer on VHS that are much better. So why are we letting all the talk be directed by a couple people? Seems dangerous to me. Don't it just."
*In case it's not very clear, let it be said that this is Old Miss Rachel's opinion not Gwai's.
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A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea.
If they think they ha’ slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.
Posts: 11914 | From: Chicago | Registered: Feb 2006
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Pax Romana
Shipmate
# 4653
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Posted
Kate Dominic perched happily on the roof of the pub and looked down on everybody passing by. What a lot of fuss they are all putting up! If they only knew how much fun it is to be one of the dear departed they would all want to shuffle off their mortal coils. Oh well. If that were to happen, it would get to be too crowded up in the air. Better to just let all of them stay right where they are.
Pax Romana
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I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.
James Thurber
Posts: 4598 | From: New York City | Registered: Jun 2003
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
It's time for another walk. Where has that Mr. Thomas been? I think it would be good to pick his brain about all the sad deeds being done in our poor town. I think I knew his parents when I was small. So, he might have some insight as to what is going on around here.
I just hope he doesn't say anything about my "American" accent. Hmmph. The Floridians told me how much they liked my English accent. Dag nab it. I do like the Floridian curse words I learned, though. This seems to be a good time to use them.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Okay, so I think we've had enough time to accuse and discuss. Now it is time to vote. The options are as follows:- Lynch Bo Langton (nominated by Dalbhac Nuabha).
- Lynch Matilda Smudgeson (nominated by Hugh Northfield).
- Lynch Dan Ffloyd (nominated by Jim Cartwright).
- No lynching
Please vote now!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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