AWKWARD ZOMBIE

"Never have been."

((whoops I was asleep while these messages were going on))

Diana's hoof-hands curl around the podium.

"How likely would it be that a deer, a half-foot shorter than the guy at least, would be able to knock him off his balance even when he was in that condition?"

Pierce straightens his back.

"Fine then. I'll just have to prove what you were really doing last night. With evidence."

"You're the one who stole the knife, weren't you? While everyone was leaving the plaza, you took the knife from the picnic table with the intent to kill. That would explain your erratic behavior yesterday. But how to commit the murder? Everyone was supposed to stay in their homes at nighttime, where you wouldn't be able to reach them."

"But then you overheard Diana talking about her lockpicks in her tool kit, and you knew this was your opportunity. You waited until she left her house and then snuck in, stealing the toolkit and replacing it with your bone. There were no signs of forced entry at Diana's house, so only one option remains for entry."

Evidence Bullet: Diana's Chimney

"Diana's chimney is too small for most animals to fit through, true..... But then again, you're a pretty small animal, Joe. You flew up to the chimney and entered Diana's house through that entrance."

"After that, you returned home and dug a hole, putting a certain item inside."

Evidence Bullet: Pitfall Seed

"You did this to prevent anyone from entering your home and finding the toolkit. In turn, this also proves that Diana couldn't have stolen your bone. She had no way of knowing about the Pitfall Seed, and would have been immediately trapped."

"You then waited until nighttime. Walking over to Bud's house, you began trying to pick his lock, with no success. Suddenly he came out of his house, surprising you."

Evidence Bullet: Bud's Door

"That's when you decided to attack him in front of his house. At some point during the fight, you lost the knife and fled, returning to your house. Realizing you lost it, you went out again to retrieve it, only to find Bud waiting for you."

"That's when he said the words that would be forever engrained in your memory."



"He attacked you with his shovel and dropped it, his knife falling out of his pocket in the process. You struggled with it, then accidentally stabbed him in the eye. Presuming him dead, you went back to your house to get your shovel and bury his body, only to find his body missing when you got back."

"And that's the whole truth, isn't it, Joe?!?!?"

"The fact that it even is likely makes all the difference in the world."

"I know you didn't commit the murder, Joe, but you intended to kill last night as well!"

"He could easily have overpowered me if he wanted--the possibility may be there, but it's slim. How risky are you to place all your trust on that possibility?"

"Just give it up, Diana. We already know that you were out last night, and our evidence points away from Joe being the murderer. You admitted to moving Bud's body in front of Joe's house, which proves that you witnessed the attack and knew you could frame Joe, and also proves that you were at Re-Tail, where he was murdered."

"I'll cut that claim to pieces! Tell me, Pierce, when you were investigating Bud's door, in what condition did you find it in?"

"There were several gashes on the door, originating from the knife."

"And why would his door be cut up if I had a toolkit with me?"

"If you fought with Bud in front of his house, you could have accidentally struck his door."

"Several times, you say?" Joe shook his head and tsked.
"As for you, Diana, I believe there's a chance you may not have overpowered him at all."

"And where's your evidence against my claims? Who's to say you didn't strike the door several times?"

"...."

Diana's arms start shaking, and she trembles all over as she looks down to the ground.

"H-heh--heeeeeeee..."

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHlKfNSiM2c[/youtube]

Her head shoots up sharply, gazing straight at Pierce.
"Even after I tried...looks like I couldn't cover it up well enough, huh...?"
The corner of Diana's mouth curls up, her eyes glazing over at she looks at each and every animal in the circle.

"Guess it's time to fess up. I killed him. But...it wasn't on purpose. I wanted to run away, to forget everything that happened last night." Her voice is shaky as she recounts the events. "He didn't want that to happen. He cornered me at the Re-Tail, grabbed my arm and told me, 'please understand', like..l-like he thought I'd just let him do it...Believe me, I tried to reason with him! I guess with a knife lodged in your eye your judgement is a little skewed.
I could've helped him, if he would've just let go of me! I told him if he killed me there, he would've been found guilty! I don't know if anything was going through his mind other than killing me. So, in my last decision, I took the knife so he wouldn't be able to use it against me. That's when he let go of me, I thought everything would be fine until he hit the ground.

"I know this won't change anything...just understand I wasn't out to kill last night! I didn't want that to happen at all..." Diana takes a deep breath, and digs in her pockets for a few moments. Picking up the item, she throws it in an underhanded toss to Whitney. "I was gonna make something cool with that too, hrm. Maybe you can make good use of it or something. Oh, and try to find those lockpicks too, alright?"

She gives a small smile, holding her hands behind her back. "...I'm sorry."