AWKWARD ZOMBIE

"If you went home after finding Bud's body was missing, how did the shovel get there? It can't be his, because it was lost in the river."

"Actually, a shovel was recovered from the scene. It's most likely Bud's, since no one else has claimed to be missing a shovel."

"Maybe it washed up on the shore. That's how rivers work, right?"

"It seems kind of odd that it was replaced for something else--not that I'm doubting it happened, of course, considering it ended up in my house. But it's almost like something was baiting you to go outside."

Punchy thinks about it for a second, then backs off.
"Y-yeah, I guess you're right."

"Hm, interesting theory. So, if people walking around during a thunderstorm wouldn't do so without a motive, then what sort of motive did Bud possess?

"From the way you said it in your testimony...
it sounded like he was waiting for the chance to kill someone unlucky enough to be outside at the same time as him.

I don't know if he was the one who switched the things, and I'm not sure if it matters, but things certianly fell in his favor for that, at least. Why else would he have been carrying a knife around, like you said?"

"Well, that depends. What did y'all find when you were inspecting Bud's house?"

".....Why are we so sold on the fact that Joe is telling the whole truth?"

Pierce turned his gaze to Joe.

"Having no contradictions in your statement about the switched items doesn't necessarily mean it's true. For all we know, you could have switched them yourself for some reason."

"The evidence that makes my claim of thievery legit is the fact that Diana's lock picking kit was replaced with a femur. You will not find a lock picking kit laying around my house."

"And why would there be? That would be quite the incriminating evidence, don't you think? Perhaps you realized that and hid it somewhere else in order to turn suspicion away from you."

"How would any of us know that the kit wasn't at your home, though?" Whitney asked impatiently. "None of us got a chance to check inside your house. Your 'true' claims don't hold any water if no one can back you up." She leaned on the podium in front of her. "...if what you are saying is true," she mused, "then killing Bud was technically an accident--does an accidental murder still have a culprit even if they didn't meant to kill anyone?"

"Since we can't directly disprove Joe's claims about the stolen items, why don't we look at this from another perspective? Are there any other points we can prove or disprove with evidence?"

"Ooh, I'm glad this was finally asked~"

"Self-defense and accidental deaths still count. Whoever caused them would be considered the murderer. We wouldn't be having a trial otherwise~"

"So even if the culprit accidentally killed the victim, they will be executed for it."

"If what Joe said is true, it still seems like he murdered Bud and tried to cover it up, but-"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" a voice cries out.

You look to see the source as none other than... Franklin?

"Bud couldn't have had the knife! Joe must be lying about that!"

"W-What? But that doesn't make sense..." Isabelle says, seemingly flustered.

"It's the truth. Joe must've stolen the knife and done in Bud himself. To think you lot would insinuate that Bud could have been a possible murderer..."

"Perhaps we should focus on what Franklin has to say for now... (If that's okay with everyone...)"



Franklin's Testimony

"Yesterday, during the rain storm, I noticed that my chef knife, the one that seems to be in Bud's eye, was missing."

"The last time I saw it, it was on the picnic table at the plaza between breakfast and dinner."

"As I know it, Bud never showed up that day to eat."

"So how could the knife be in his possession? There's no way he could have had it! Joe stole it and killed him, plain and simple!"

"Hmm... I can confirm that he didn't eat during the day. He was in his house for some reason."

"Upupu... this amuses me. Also, to be clearer, only me and Isabelle know what happened last night. Franklin is telling the truth to the best of his... feeble abilities..."

"Ba-gawk?"

Evidence Bullet: Bud's Door

You've got that wrong!

"It's entirely possible that your knife was in Bud's possession, hawkeye! When I examined Bud's door, I found that the gashes on it were caused by the same kind of knife as the one found in Bud's eye. In other words...your knife! Furthermore, Punchy mentioned earlier that Bud's house is quite a distance away from Joe's house. If Joe had stolen the knife and used it for some reason on Bud's door, he would have been seen!"