AWKWARD ZOMBIE

I think the killer meant to bury Bud in the soft mud but ran out of time and ran for it before he got caught.

Pierce looks sternly at the group.

"I....wasn't exactly sure what I was going to find. I just had a feeling that something was going to happen last night, and Joe's behavior seemed suspicious to me. So I asked Whitney to join me on a.....late night investigation for two reasons. One, so that we could keep an eye on each other in case someone tried to kill us, and two, so that in case something were to happen, we'd both have an alibi."

Pierce looks downcast.

"I was hoping my fears would be unwarranted, but unfortunately, my intuitions were spot on."

let me repeat that I hate these annoying polls. This almost makes me want to make a new thread, but that'd be a bit of a waste.

"So, are you insinuating that not only did the murder not take place at the scene of the crime, but also that it's possible for a third party to have done the deed?"

"That still wouldn't clear up why Joe's footprints were there or why he seemed to get into a fight with Bud. If he's not the murderer, why were they fighting?"

"That's up to Joe to explain. Care to enlighten us, rookie?"

"Well then, I think it's time to get a testimony."

JOE'S TESTIMONY

"Care to explain what happened between you and Bud last night? I also want to stress that lying or hiding information will only make you look more guilty."

"Very well. It was a dark and stormy night," said Joe.
"I was out for reasons, and I happened across Bud, who was carrying a shovel with him.
"He started talking to me about lots of meaningless things, and walked with me as I headed home.
"However, a lightning strike startled him and he fell over, dropping his shovel into the river, and causing a knife to fall from his pocket and onto the ground.
"We both stared at the knife for a second, and then we both sprung for it, with him saying that he would kill me before I could kill him, and then we both had a grip on the handle, him having a clear advantage with his paws versus my wings, and I quickly found myself losing the struggle.
"However, all that rain and mud that had gotten on the knife had made it super slippery, and it slid right up into the air, and when I made a motion to cast it away...
"I had unintentionally backhanded it into Bud's eye.
"He fell to the ground after screaming, and I presumed him to be dead.
"I thought up a plan to bury his body, as that would prevent anyone from finding the corpse, and I wouldn't have to deal with a situation where I would have to fight eight people collectively for the right to survive.
"I looked for the shovel he was carrying, but he dropped it into the river, and it was too dark to see.
"So I ran back to my house to find another shovel, and when I found one, I came running back to the scene of the crime.
"To my surprise, Bud's body was gone! Someone had dragged it away.
"And so, I went to bed."

"You were out 'for reasons'?"

"You can ask Diana about them. After all, I'm the one who was acting 'fishy' and 'paranoid.'"

Diana tilts her head.

"Was it because of your lost bone? Seems a bit strange that it was so important to you, but to each his own, I guess."

"And why wait until nighttime to look for it?"

"Well, my dear deer and eager eagle, it annoys me to no end when one of my finds gets stolen by some two-bit scum trying to pass the find off as their discovery. I figured that if I searched around town at night, then I could find the thief when he was out and about thieving."

Pierce folds his arms.

"Don't suppose you've got any evidence to support your claims, do you?"

"Oh, but I do."

"There was a theft that took place in my home the night before last. A femur was stolen and replaced with a Rococo Clock. This statement contains no contradictions by nature of the femur's existence and the Rococo clock's existence."