“We meet for the final time to share the results of your investigations,” Giles said. “Congratulations, Cliff, you are the winner of the sixth crime.”
It was the next morning now. The night before, after Cliff had solved the challenge, Giles had dismissed them to their rooms around 3:30 A.M. to state their cases and then finally get some sleep. He promised them results in the morning during breakfast.
Giles’s announcement that morning that Cliff had solved the murder came as no surprise to the remaining four contestants. As Cliff stood to explain how the killer had murdered Todd, the other three guests bristled nervously, wondering what would happen next. Giles had made it clear that that was going to be the last murder to follow the usual format. The guests merely had to wait and wonder as Cliff explained the sixth murder.
“It was a cold night so, per Giles’s suggestion, Todd was in his room trying to get his fireplace started,” Cliff said. “But he couldn’t seem to find his gas valve key. I surmised he was on the floor near the fireplace looking for it when the killer snuck into his suite and came up behind him with an axe. The killer then chopped into Todd’s back several times, enough to spill half his blood into the suite and sever his spine, killing him within seconds. Then the killer shoved Todd’s body into the fireplace and used the missing valve key to seal off the fireplace with a specially rigged glass covering. The key also doubled as a trigger to some explosive device under the fireplace base, which launched Todd’s body out of the chimney and into the night sky like a cannonball. This was the explosion we all heard that night. Todd ended up crashing down into the fountain out front, breaking several limbs in the process. Thankfully, he was already dead and did not have to suffer any more pain.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jackson,” Giles said. “The rest of you are Scared, as has been the case the past few crimes. However, your next crime will not follow the same format. The killer has a few surprises in store for you all, apparently. For now, your instructions will be to enjoy the resort. Have fun and relax during what may end up being your last day alive. The killer has promised that by the end of tomorrow, one of you will be the next victim, one will be the loser of the last challenge, one will be revealed to be the killer, and one lucky person will be declared the winner and his or her life will be spared. Now then, run along and enjoy yourselves. It may be the last chance you get to do so. When the conch sounds through the intercom, please join us on the patio for lunch.”